Shut In – Day 376: The Right Time

Our last check-in with Noah on the ark (on his 601^st birthday) left us with the thought that – no matter our feelings or how things appear, we should wait on God for His timing. As Eric and Leslie Ludy of Ellerslie put it:

“Psalm 27:14 tells us, ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord’ (NIV).

“Why is the phrase ‘be strong and take heart’ associated with waiting for the Lord? Because taking time to wait and let God make your path clear requires strength of soul — it requires faith. The Bible says that God is a ‘rewarder of those who diligently seek Him’ (Heb. 11:6). Do we believe that promise? Are we willing to diligently seek Him in order to find the reward that He has for those who wait expectantly on Him?”

Now, we know that Noah sought God diligently, for he was described as one who “walked with God.” He was rewarded in part when God gave him specific directions to build the ark which would be a literal life-saver for only 8 people and all the animals God chose to rescue from well-deserved judgement through the worldwide flood.

But being strong in the Lord does not always look as we expect. Sometimes it involves sitting and waiting for Him. It also entails believing and trusting that His ways are higher and better than ours.

And so Noah waited. 

More than three months passed after the dove returned with the freshly plucked olive leaf and then moved out of the ark for good. Eight whole weeks passed after Noah removed the covering of the ark and saw the dry ground.

And still he waited. … For what??

For the same Voice that had sent him into the ark in the first place! As impatient as he could have grown, the very walls shutting Noah in were clear testimonies to the faithfulness of God… showing that He could be trusted to take care of His children.

And after all that waiting and trusting… On Day number 376 since being shut in the ark:

“God said to Noah, ‘Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh… and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’” – Genesis 8:15-17

[Can't you just about hear the Halleluia Chorus ringing out from the ark?!]

“So Noah went out…”

THE END!

Just kidding. There is more to the story, including Noah’s first action on dry ground once again being to build and altar and sacrifice to the LORD. Then God made a very special promise to Noah and all his descendants (including you and me!) which involved a rainbow.

But I’ll let you read it all for yourself.

After all, I think I’ve written enough words on this topic over the past 13 months! The question now is, are we going to learn from Noah? Are we going to walk with God, trust God, obey God, and wait on God?

By His grace!

~ Hannah

See previous posts in series here:

Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10: The Animals
Part III: Day 20: The Man Noah
Part IV: Day 30: The Walls
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis
Part VII: Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!
Part IX: Day 181: Survival Mode while Shut In
Part X: Day 227: Land, Ho!
Part XI: Day 267: Testing the Waters
Part XII: Day 281: Giving Thanks for Signs of Hope
Part XIII: Day 319: A Birthday with a View

Rainbow Photo by Austin Schmid on Unsplash

Winter Fun!

Time for some winter fun! When Maren and kids were last here, we made 3 snowmen, a snow-rabbit, and a snowball "hive" that glowed long into the night around a candle! 

When out for the lighting, our 3-year old was amazed at how many stars he could see away from streetlights in town! Jupiter is so clear and bright too. Back inside I asked him to tell Tante (Aunt Elsa) what planet he saw. 

Answer: "Jupiter and Neptune and Pluto"

Yes, he is into planets but still has a lot to learn! 😆

Speaking of snowmen, we think this year set a record among our history of snowmen. My December creation lasted exactly two months before losing its head! Yes, it was a long, dark, and cold two months where sunshine was rare. So thankful to be back to more sunny days!

Coming back indoors means the glasses have to come off until they warm up and clear. Temps are 8 degrees (Fahrenheit) and dropping this week.

Here are a couple recent sunsets. The sunrises have also been stunning! 

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of His hands..."

• Psalm 19

Mid-Winter Life

It seems that overall, I have strayed from my original purpose for this blog, which was to help us recognize God's good gifts and the beauty in daily life. I am not sorry for some of the other themes that have crept in. But I do hope to revisit this original vision more often in 2023.

In winter particularly, I find myself looking for life and color around me. So after the Christmas decorations came down and left the house bare, my orchids and last summer's dipladenia began to fill the gap.

This is also a fun time of year to pull out the bright balsa birds we brought back from the edge of the Ecuadorian jungle in 2006!

Plus a few summered-over amaryllis are on their way to bring us joy again.

What life and color is bringing you joy this winter? Feel free to share in a comment below!

How Long?

February began in a hard way for our family.

All month so far the phone has been ringing and messages arriving. Messages of condolence and prayer and shared tears. Family and friends near and far are so caring!

But for the last week of January we actually dreaded answering the phone – wondering what the next update would be from the ICU where Mom’s brother was battling infections and fighting for his life.

Now though the pain of loss is great and we hurt even more for his wife, 4 children and 22 grandchildren, we are comforted with the knowledge that this special family-member is now with Jesus! No more pain or sickness for him!

The hymn that our family came to after supper a couple evenings ago was especially poignant at this time. Verse 4 of “It May be at Morn” says:

“O joy! O delight! Should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying,
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives His own.

“O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
Ere we shout the glad song,
Christ returneth! Hallelujah! hallelujah!
Amen, Hallelujah! Amen.”

• H.L. Turner, 1878