Come, Be Still: devotional

Showing posts with label devotional. Show all posts

Friday, February 14, 2025

"The Greatest Thing in the World"

When unpacking boxes and totes of books from our home library which had been stored in the garage for 3 years, I found this little gem.

There is no publication date on this edition of The Greatest Thing in the World. A search shows it may be from 1970, but the texts I find online date back at least as far as 1891. And the Introduction by D. L. Moody tells how this book came out of an impromptu, fireside chat with friends in England in 1884.

Author Henry Drummond, a Scottish scientist, teacher and church leader, was a classmate of Robert Louis Stevenson. His writings were circulated more widely than the popular novels of his day, and this little book still continues in print.

So, what does the author describe as "the greatest thing in the world?" Or as he puts it: "What is the summum bonum - the supreme good? You have life before you. Once only you can live it. What is the noblest object of desire, the supreme gift to covet?"

The answer: Love!

But maybe not just in the way you are thinking this Valentine's Day 2025. This book takes us through 1 Corinthians 13 in detail... which of course is all about Love.

This excerpt in particular sticks out to me:

"Love is not a thing of enthusiastic emotion. It is a rich, strong, manly, vigorous expression of the whole round Christian character - the Christlike nature in its fullest development."

After all... God Is Love! - 1 John 4:9

Drummond continues, "And the constituents of this great character are only to be built up by ceaseless practice. What was Christ doing in the carpenter's shop? Practicing. Though perfect, we read that He learned obedience, and grew in wisdom and in favor with God. Do not quarrel, therefore, with your lot in life. Do not complain of its never-ceasing cares, its petty environment, the vexations you have to stand, the small and sordid souls you have to live and work with. ... That is the practice God appoints you... Do not grudge the hand that is moulding the still too shapeless image within you. It is growing more beautiful, though you see it not. "

Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Hannah

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Why You Are Where You Are

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong time or place or just wish your circumstances were different?

Why would God have put you here and let you face all this? As Joni Tada says in her new devotional book, "The Practice of the Presence of Jesus":

"The answer is in Acts 17:26-27:

'From one man he made every nation of men... and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.' (NIV84)

"There's no mistaking: God placed you in this century, in this country, in your family, and with your friends for a specific purpose. He arranged the optimal circumstances and put you with the ideal individuals to cause you to seek Jesus, reach out for him, and find him.

"And be encouraged, for Jesus says, 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart' (Jeremiah 29:13).

"How do your circumstances and people around you make you reach out to Jesus?"

~ Joni Eareckson Tada

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Reading with a Pencil

One small sentence opened up a whole paragraph for me this morning. And all because I read my Bible with a pencil handy.

Do you have a Journaling Bible or keep a notebook nearby when reading? I find it so helpful to jot down or underline something each day. That simple action can help wake up my brain when feeling dull.

▪︎ If it sparks more connections, that is exciting!

▪︎ If it simply gives me an extra minute of focus on the truth and something to look back on through the day, it is a blessing.

▪︎ And for the years when chronic illness took away most reading comprehension, simply listening to an audio Bible would wash my weary heart with truth.

How do you read and study the Bible in your current season of life?

~ Hannah

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Come, "Be Still"

Do you ever take time to simply "Be Still" during your days? It may sound impossible in light of your to-do list or all the work you see piling up around...

Yet I can't emphasize enough how healing it can be to just stop and Be Still... for even 3 minutes! (Yes, we do have three spare minutes. Think of all the 3-minute blocks of time that are wasted each day!)

Have you noticed how our culture is increasingly wired against this concept? Next time you are in a line or waiting room, just look around and see how many others are buried in their smart-phones.

And do you find, as I do, that when more tired or stressed, we are even more tempted to turn to our phones for "mindless" scrolling? (Unfortunately, this does affect our minds anyway. But that's another topic...)

When we actually stop and unplug long enough, we may actually start to think! And I've been thinking more and more about how all the noise and images, sensational news and pointless games are no accident.

Instead they are often a real temptation...
• A distraction from the real life we were meant to live
• A replacement to the truth we were meant to ponder
• A poor substitute for the beauty and wonder of the world God has given us
• An opening to subtle (or blatant!) lies
• An "immunization" against what should shock and sicken us
• And a false sense of accomplishment and worth
... among other concerns!

Don't get me wrong! I am also grateful for the ways technology allows us to keep up with loved ones or run a business - especially when chronic illness keeps one at home for years. And I could still think myself into a hole on some less-than-optimal days if I didn't have a good audiobook, audio-Bible or podcast playing through earbuds.

But even then I need to be careful not to let the "perpetual motion" of life keep me from the following reality-check:

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" ~ Psalm 46:10

Oh, how a few minutes of stillness with a verse or two of Truth can reset the mind... and even the body! Let me know if you try it today and how it goes for you!

📖 A few other Bible verses to ponder in light of all this are:
▪︎ Philippians 4:8
▪︎ Romans 12:2
▪︎ Colossians 3:1-2
▪︎ Isaiah 26:3

~ Hannah

Saturday, March 11, 2023

A Note from Amy Carmichael (& picture from home)

I am shut up, and I cannot come forth. (Psalm 88:8)
Rejoice the soul of Thy servant. (Psalm 86:4)

"Very few of you are shut up. For those few who are, these words will be, I think, a great help. The way of joy is the way of release for our spirit, even though the flesh (which is the least part of us) cannot come forth.

"But I write the words for you today because I think perhaps some are shut up in another way: some difficult thing has to be done, and you do not feel you can do it; you are shut up in discouragement, and you think you cannot come forth. Thank God, you can. There is liberty and victory for you. Look up to Him whose joy is your strength. Pray this prayer: 'Rejoice the soul of Thy servant.' For you too the way of joy is the way of release."

~ Amy Carmichael in Edges of His Ways - March 11

Monday, February 27, 2023

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

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

The Lamb Shall Overcome

Near the end of December, I came to this entry in the daily devotional "Edges of His Ways" compiled from notes written by Amy Carmichael:

These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they also shall overcome that are with Him.
(Revelation 17:14, RV)

These last nine words have been truly spirit and life to me. Sometimes it seems as if the war were against us, but it never is. It is against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome. It is impossible to imagine anything else but victory for "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (13:8). So all that matters is that we should be with Him, "called and chosen and faithful."

O God of peace, strong is the enemy,
But Thou art nigh;
And he must fall beneath our feet,
Because of Calvary.

~ Amy Carmichael

For another excerpt from this book and a free book list including several of my family's favorite devotional books, see the caption of this YouTube Short: https://youtu.be/ZTHYmEvwRNY

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Shut In – Day 319: A Birthday with a View

If you have been following along since last February 17^th, you may remember how I used that date to start tracking with Noah on the Ark – all because of this verse found in the history of Genesis 7:11:

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month…” And thus began the global flood, signs of which are still clearly seen by scientists the world over.

Well, today’s date has special significance in this journey as well.

“By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth.” – Genesis 8:13

Now I obviously know that our calendar was not in existence at the time of the flood. Nor do I think Noah was likely a “New Year’s Baby.” But I am grateful for how specific this historical account is when laying out the timeline – even if it can only allow us to count within the days of the life of one specific man. After all, he was the ancestor of every human being on earth since then, so I’d say his life was rather important!

So, how did Noah celebrate this monumental birthday? Not with a special cake and candles.

Instead: “Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry.”

And that is all we know until nearly 2 months later!

If we had been Noah, mightn’t we have been tempted to get out of that ark? After being shut in for 319 days, the sight of dry land coming weeks after the dove brought back a fresh, green leaf seems like it's about time, right?

But Noah knew God better than that. God had shut him in, and He could wait for God to let Him out.

So how about the things that “shut us in”? Can we trust that God’s timing is perfect? That even if we could possibly “get out” from our circumstances, we would not be satisfied or safe “out there” until the time is right?

Instant relief from trouble or instant healing is not God’s plan for everyone. [See the apostle Paul’s account in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, for example.]

God is working all the while. Wait on Him.

photo from last February while we were shut out of our home more than a week, waiting for professional mold remediation to be completed

See previous posts in series here:

Thursday, November 10, 2022

11.10.22 Shut In – Day 267: Testing the Waters

“At the end of forty days…”

That is where we are in Noah’s season of being “shut in” by God.

Forty days ago, Noah and family and menagerie in their mighty ship were already perched on the mountains of Ararat, and the tops of the mountains were finally visible! And yet there has been no change in daily life since then (unless possibly the earth and waters have calmed down some more from the violent upheaval geological records show were still happening as the flood receded.)

40 more days of waiting.
40 more days of feeding and cleaning up after animals.
40 more days of wondering how they were going to possibly start life again in an empty world.
40 more days of waiting for God to show the next step.

And still there was no sign. So, Noah decided to check things out for himself.

“At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark… and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him.” Genesis 8:6-9

As far as we know there was no disobedience or rebellion in Noah’s heart or actions. There is no record of God being displeased at His child’s experiments. It may show a little impatience, or simply a desire to plan ahead.

But as we will see in the weeks to come, Noah was still committed to waiting on God for clear direction.

See previous posts in series here:

Next Post:
Part XII: Day 281: Giving Thanks for Signs of Hope

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Shut In – Day 227: Land, Ho!

My dates for this series may not be quite accurate for at least two reasons:

- When the historical account says anything like “after one month,” I estimate 30 days.
- Plus I am not using an ancient calendar.

But if you remember from when this series began, the goal was simply to glean real-time insights into the long months that Noah and his family were “shut in” the ark by God. So when the account in Genesis 8:5 reads, “in the tenth month, on the first day of the month”… I think October 1^st.

So, what happened on this day in history, 227 days after God closed the ark?

“the tops of the mountains were seen.”

As autumn quickly makes us forget summer here on the prairie, my mind heads toward the Thanksgiving observance coming up. So this first sighting of land after months tossing on the ocean reminds me of the joy of the Pilgrims upon their arrival to the land where they hoped to build new lives with the freedom to worship God and also raise their children without such worldly influences.

But the sighting of mountain tops from the ark was rather different. There would have been no forests or farmland to be seen. No place to build cabins and hunt for food. No natives to meet, trade with, and learn from.

Instead the tops of the mountains would have been dead and barren as the flood waters left them high and drying. This was no place to land and start a new life. Noah still had to wait an unknown amount of time.

As he daily cared for all the land animals still in existence, he must have had time to think, to wonder about the future, and to ponder what he had been through.

Even though Noah knew he had found favor with God, that did not exempt him from suffering... and lots of it.

First, God called him to build what must have been a laughing-stock to the evil-hearted world – a monstrous ship filled with outrageous amounts of provisions.

Then God shut Noah and his wife, three sons, and their wives into this ark.

Next came the terror and grief of the flood and the death of every person and animal left outside on the land.

Then the survival mode of daily life, learning to care for every animal’s needs when God may have felt very far away and silent in the storm. At least every bit of Noah’s surroundings could serve as a reminder that he was being kept in the covenant care of God.

When 40 days later the rain finally stopped, what a relief it must have been!

But then came the wind sent by God, which – though all the while working for their ultimate relief – may have tossed them about as much as ever.

Finally, enough of the endless ocean had dried and settled to allow the ark to get caught on a mountain and sit still for the first time in months. Imagine the renewed hope that an end may actually be in sight! (But I do wonder how crooked the ship could have settled – making life hard in a new way.)

Now Noah had to wait and wait to even get a glimpse of anything but water. And when the first land appeared, it was uninhabitable desolation – nothing like the lush and living world before the storm.

And there was still nothing to do but wait… still shut in! But seen from our perspective, we know that every stage of this journey was a sign of God’s favor and grace on Noah.

I'll let you make the application to your own life again.

See previous posts in series here:

Next Post:
Part XI: Day 267: Testing the Waters

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Shut In – Day 150: Touch Down!

Who remembers when we first began tracking along with Noah’s flood… when he and his family were “shut in” by God? For most of us, February probably feels long ago. And 150 days must have felt long on the ark as well.

But today marks an exciting change in the monotony!

“At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” Genesis 8:3-4

The ark was finally stable once again, but it would still be more than two months before any land could be seen. Noah and his family would need much continued grace to wait.

As H.E. Wisloff shared in Quiet Moments on the Way Home:

My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
(2 Corinthians 12:9)

"Sufficient Grace! Should we not praise God for this?

It is so easy for us to stare at our infirmities until we become blind to the glorious realities of grace.

We who are so aware of our insufficiency are permitted to live in the eternal sufficiency of God’s grace!

Our feelings are not enough, nor our faith, nor our prayers, nor our godliness. But God’s grace is sufficient.

And not only this, but God’s grace is perfected in our infirmities. It transforms the weakness in our lives into peace, victory, courage, and joy. It is to save us, sanctify us and make us useful in God’s service.

We need nothing more, nor do we solicit anything more. We fold our hands and thank Him who loves us and gives us all that we need. God’s grace is our sufficiency!"

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: Day100: When Waiting Turns to Years

Next Post:
Part IX: Day 181: Survival Mode while Shut In

Friday, May 27, 2022

Shut In – Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years

Another month has passed since we checked in with Noah.

See previous posts in this 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

The rain stopped pouring 2 months ago, and Noah and his family are still shut in the Ark.

One hundred days sounds (and feels) like a rather long time. But what about when the days and months turn to years? You may not feel able to relate to Noah’s trials because yours have gone on so much longer. (Ignoring the fact that once he was let out of the ark, his challenges were far from over.)

Well, the Bible has other examples of waiting and suffering… for years.

I have once again been studying a favorite life-history in the Bible – that of Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (aka: Israel). You remember… the 17 year old whose jealous brothers heartlessly sold him into slavery and told their father he was dead. (Find his story in Genesis 37-50.)

On the surface, this life of slavery could look like God had abandoned Joseph. But the fact was quite the opposite!

What sticks out to me this time through the account is the phrase:

The LORD was with Joseph.

In chapter 39, as Joseph was enslaved for years and then falsely accused and thrown into a prison in Egypt, we find four clear statements of God’s presence with him through it all. Even the pagans could see this and ended up trusting Joseph with all they owned.

Joseph gives us an amazing example of how to live in years of slavery and prison-life. (For our application think: years of pain, disabilities, grief, betrayal, injustice, lies, or whatever you are facing).

Joseph always:
- served his best to help others succeed
- earned trust and honor from those over him
- refused to sin against God through repeated temptations
- gave God the glory and credit

As a result, look for how many times God blessed Joseph and those he served!

And yet, he was “shut in”… away from his family – and then even away from the responsibilities and respect he had so richly earned as a slave. When a chance finally came to appeal his case, the man who was supposed to help Joseph forgot him…

… for 2 whole years longer.

By this time, 13 years had passed since Joseph was sold into slavery. It could have felt as if the prime of his life was gone. But God’s timing was perfect.

If he had been released 2 years earlier, it would only have been to get out of prison. But at this point, it was to be promoted from the prison to second in command of the entire nation!

“And Pharaoh said to his servants, ‘Can we find a man like this, in whom is the Spirit of God?’” – Genesis 41:38

This put Joseph into position to not only save the nation of Egypt through the upcoming famine, but also the lives of his family. (And yes, he was united with them again more than 20 years after being sold into slavery! But you’ll have to read that fascinating history for yourself.)

Our stories will be far different than Joseph’s or Noah’s. But we can still learn from them!

Is God with us? Then He will bless us – even in the darkest times of our lives.

Next Post in Series:
Part VIII: Day 150: Touch Down!

Saturday, April 30, 2022

The Dilemma of Balance

Today's post is all excerpted from
Waiting for a Miracle: Devotions for Those Who Are Physically Weak by Jan Markell

"Being ill is a full-time job without vacations or other fringe benefits. And it's a balancing act of the greatest magnitude! Balancing activity and anticipation with a daily routine of needed rest and quiet is not an easy assignment.

Balance is also needed in interpersonal relationships. We wonder if we should keep our dilemma private, or speak too often about it and risk the flight of loved ones. Should we ask for help and risk being a burden, or should we maintain some independence which can bring on isolation and other problems? Should we push ourselves socially in the interest of our mental health, or should we play it safe and virtually vegetate, thus allowing rest therapy a better chance of bringing recovery from our affliction?

Keeping a good balance thus involves a "pick and choose" mind-set. We must keep ourselves maintained for that is our priority. Everything else must be assigned a lower priority and some things just have to be let go for a time. Letting go is one of the most difficult assignments, for it is not just the act of letting go, but embracing the mind-set of acceptance at the same time.

Living among healthy people who have no restrictions offers us overwhelming temptation to depart from a strict recovery program that includes a needed balance. Well people will want us to make commitments, which can be a double-edged sword. With commitment there is anticipation; however, there is also the dread of not being able to follow through with that commitment. Then anticipation turns to stress, stress to anxiety, and anxiety to even poorer health.

Even good stress needs balance. Good stress is an event or opportunity that involves fun, activity, and people we love. It involves fellowship, caring, sharing, and love. But it also may involve too many people, too much talking, and too much activity. Then we're back to square one.

To arrive at a proper level of balance amidst affliction takes the help of Holy Spirit discernment. At the start of each new day, we need to seek God's guidance for the hours before us. We don't want to squander them; rather, we should make every minute count, not just for God, but for our recovery process.

Finding balance in an unbalanced world with the complication of affliction can only be accomplished by surrendering our day to the will of God. He will redeem it and make it count, even if in our eyes it seems but a wasteland. God does all things well, and he specializes in turning ugliness into beauty and wastelands into gardens."

For Further Meditation

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD (Psalm 31:24).

But now, LORD, what do I look for? My hope is in you (Ps. 39:7).

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God (Ps. 42:5).

But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more (Ps. 71:14).

You were wearied by all your ways, but you would not say, "It is hopeless." You found renewal of your strength, and so you did not faint (Isaiah 57:10).

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23).

Posts with further excerpts from Jan Markell's book:

Delayed Response

Acceptance and Celebrations

In Every Season

Waiting Tests Faith

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Shut In – Day 70: After the Crisis

You know how a crisis usually brings with it a unique mindset and extra adrenaline to “get through it” – even for those who don’t know God’s gifts of strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.*

But what about when the main crisis is past, and it hits you that life will never be the same? Whether dealing with the loss of a loved one or the loss of your health, strength, and abilities... moving on alone or living in years of “survival mode” can be harder to face than even the crisis itself.

Even while “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” – he was still a man like us.

As we follow along on Noah’s journey this year, think a moment of how many different things you have done through the past month. How many different people have you interacted with? (For us that includes several more contractors and building suppliers we are lining up to repair and rebuild after mold remediation.)

But Noah has spent 30 days since the rain ended:
- shut in the ark
- with his same 7 family members
- knowing the earth and every living creature is buried deep in water
- taking care of all the animals

And he still has an unknown amount of time left to wait... for an unknown future.

How does one survive the “endless” waiting? By looking to the only true Hope available.

We wait in hope for the LORD;
He is our help and shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in His holy name.
May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in You.

• Psalm 33:20-22

Other posts in this series:
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

Next Post:
Part VII: Day 100: When Waiting Turns to Years

* line from Great is Thy Faithfulness by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923

Monday, March 28, 2022

Shut In – Day 40: What God Says… He Does

For context, first see the other posts in this series:
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

Forty-seven days ago, God told Noah, “I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” (Genesis 7:4)

A week later, God shut Noah and his family into the ark with all the animals to be saved.

And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. (7:12)
The flood continued forty days on the earth. (7:17)

Today marks the 40^th day since the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month… the day when the flood began.

Now something exciting has happened: the seemingly endless rain has stopped!

The fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained (8:2)

What a relief that must be! But don't think that it is silent now. The wind has picked up.

And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. (8:1)

Yet there is another silence that must be felt by each one on the ark: the complete absence of any other human life on the face of the earth.

Not only did God live up to His word of the rain lasting ”forty days and forty nights.” He also had to follow through on His words:
- “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (6:7)
- “I have determined…” (6:13)
- “I will…” (6:17)

What God Says… He Does.

And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died… Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. (7:21-23)

Sin has consequences.

But so does faith-filled obedience, as we will see later on in Noah’s history.

We won’t be checking in with him so often now. Even though it has already felt like a long journey, the time of being shut in the ark has hardly begun.

We don’t have any clue that Noah knew anything more about the timing after the 40 days of rain were complete. Judging from our own lives, it is probably best if he didn’t know how many months he had left shut in there with his small family and a crowd of animals, working and… waiting.

But as Jim Elliot once wrote in a season of very difficult waiting for him and the woman he loved but didn’t know if they would ever marry:

“Waiting on Him for Whom
it is no vain thing to wait,
Jim”

Can we, like Noah, sign our names along with Jim?

Next Post in Series:
Part VI: Day 70: After the Crisis

Sky photo by Chris Nguyen on Unsplash

Friday, March 18, 2022

Shut In – Day 30: The Walls

Has anyone else been thinking of Noah this week? A friend of mine just gave her new baby that name a couple days ago!

But it has been a long month for the most famous Noah on the ark by now… 30 days since we first took note that God “shut him in.”

And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. – Genesis 7:19

After our last visit to Noah got so long, this one will be very short.

It is still raining.

Imagine how moist and smelly the ark must be by now – just from all the humidity in the air. Have you ever smelled wet wool with its heavy, greasy pungency? And that would be the pleasantest smell to me among all the animals.

Now imagine the complete lack of sunshine for 30 days. The constant noise. The intense labor. And the ongoing grief for the past and unknowns for the future.

Does it feel like the walls are closing in?

And yet, the walls that shut him in are also the visible sign of God’s provision and protection… a reminder of the covenant God made with Noah in Genesis 6:18.

What feels like it is shutting you in today?

How may God be using that very thing to show you more of His goodness today?

Photo: sunrise through frosty window yesterday

Previous posts in this series:
Part I: The Lord Shut Him In
Part II: Day 10
Part III: Day 20

Next Post:
Part V: Day 40: What God Says... He Does