9 months and some change.
That's how long Noah was in the ark. (Gen 7:11, 8:13-15) Anyone who has had a child knows that 9 months creeps by pretty slowly.
I've been reading in Genesis lately and I was really struck today by this account of time passing in the story of Noah. The numb
er that sticks in my head from the Noah story is 40 days and 40 nights...then Noah does the thing with the dove and shortly there after dry land! Not so much...9 months...9 months in a hot crowded smelly ark, when only 40 days were actually spent in a storm. As I read through the text I was struck by the repetition of the phrase: "he waited." And then when the time was right God said, "come on out," and there was tremendous blessing for Noah.
There are so many times when I have gone through "storms" in my life, my expectation has been that when the heat is off, or when the torrents of rain are over, God will intervene and at that moment everything will be back to normal or even better. But when God's blessing or provision in the way that I expect is delayed, does that mean He has checked out or isn't involved in my life?
What would have happened had Noah prematurely open the door of the ark? Perhaps a different epic drama for Leonardo Dicaprio to star in...
There is a such a value in not running ahead of God...even when the sky says that everything is alright. Can you imagine Noah staring at a Sunny sky and asking why they were still cooped up in that boat. We need to learn the discipline in waiting, listening and allowing God to open the door and say..."the time is now." There is much to be learned in the waiting...
As the account of Noah continues after these 9 months two things immediately follow: worship and multiplication. When we go when God directs...when we step out of our cover that had kept us safe in the storm when God says now is the time. The results will be awe inspiring...we will be drawn to worship and the natural result of our lives will be multiplication.