God remembered Noah
“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” ~ Genesis 8:1
There is so much power in the phrase “But God remembered Noah.” After 150 days of floating above a flooded earth with no sign of what was next, God sent a shift. That word remembered doesn’t mean God forgot about Noah, it means He turned His attention toward him to bring a new beginning.
I understand what that feels like, when it seems like the waiting will never end. There have been times when I knew I had obeyed God, trusted His Word, and stayed where He placed me, yet time dragged on and nothing seemed to change. During one of those long, quiet seasons of waiting, I thought about the waiting Noah had to endure, only his was so much more extreme. Even though I felt overwhelmed, I came to realize that just because the waiting is silent doesn’t mean God isn’t moving. Even when I couldn’t see any changes in my outward circumstances, I believed that when the time was right, the things God was working on in the unseen would show up where there seemed to be no way. And when He did, things began to shift in a new and better way. That is exactly what happened in my situation, at just the right time, God showed up and opened the way to the next step in my journey.
Maybe you’re in a place right now where you feel stuck, forgotten, or unsure of what’s next. You’ve obeyed God, but the answers aren’t coming quickly. The floodwaters of uncertainty or struggle seem to stretch far beyond what you thought you could handle. If so, be encouraged because God does remember right where you are and this chapter is a turning point, not just for Noah, but for you, also. God always remembers His people. When the winds shift, it is with at just the right time in His purpose.
Here are some things you can do in the waiting:
- Stay in the place God has positioned you. Noah didn’t jump out of the ark early, he waited until God opened the door. Obedience in waiting is powerful.
- Expect God to send a shift. Whether it’s a word, an opportunity, or renewed strength, God always initiates the next step when it’s time.
- Offer thanks when things begin to changes. The first thing Noah did when he stepped out of the ark was build an altar. Gratitude honors God and prepares you for what’s next.
- Remember God sees the whole picture. Even when it seems like nothing is happening, God is working behind the scenes to prepare dry ground.
- Keep watching for the signs. Just as Noah sent the raven and the dove, stay open to small indications that a shift is coming.
You can get started today by taking the next steps below:
- Set aside time today to read Genesis 8 slowly, especially verse 1.
- Write down any area of your life where you feel like you’ve been “shut in” and are waiting for a breakthrough.
- Start a gratitude list for how God has sustained you through this season, even if it’s not over yet.
Today I want to encourage you to hold on to the truth that God remembers you. He has not forgotten the prayers you’ve prayed, the obedience you’ve walked in, or the tears you’ve cried. Just like Noah, you are seen, held, and carried by the One who controls the winds and the waters. Stay faithful in the ark until He speaks again. The wind is shifting, and with it, the beginning of something new.
Today’s Scripture Reading: Genesis 8
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.
2 The underground waters stopped flowing, and the torrential rains from the sky were stopped.
3 So the floodwaters gradually receded from the earth. After 150 days,
4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 Two and a half months later, as the waters continued to go down, other mountain peaks became visible.
6 After another forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the boat
7 and released a raven. The bird flew back and forth until the floodwaters on the earth had dried up.
8 He also released a dove to see if the water had receded and it could find dry ground.
9 But the dove could find no place to land because the water still covered the ground. So it returned to the boat, and Noah held out his hand and drew the dove back inside.
10 After waiting another seven days, Noah released the dove again.
11 This time the dove returned to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. Then Noah knew that the floodwaters were almost gone.
12 He waited another seven days and then released the dove again. This time it did not come back.
13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.
14 Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry!
15 Then God said to Noah,
16 “Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives.
17 Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”
18 So Noah, his wife, and his sons and their wives left the boat.
19 And all of the large and small animals and birds came out of the boat, pair by pair.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.
21 And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things.
22 As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”
Journal:
- What area of my life feels stuck or silent?
- How can I remain faithful and grateful while I wait for God to move?
The Daily Dose 