UNTIL - Jewell Utt
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
But God remembered Noah…had He forgotten him–the plan?
Most people recognize the phrase forty days and forty nights as The Great Flood. The time period God sent rain to the Earth to destroy every living thing. Except Noah and his wife, his three sons, their wives, and…every living creature in pairs.
When I reflect on it I think, Yeah, I could spend forty days with my family, hang out, have some laughs, but forty days is only how long it rained. From the time God closed the door of the Ark to the time they walked out onto Mount Ararat it was over a year. They were on the Ark–together–with the animals approximately 370 days.
I wonder what the living conditions were like; the smells, the day to day interaction, the fear of uncertainty, the nerves. Then I remember this was a house made by God. He was so specific in the construction of the Ark, I believe He planned for every little detail. How they would eat, drink, bathe, and care for the animals. The Ark was large enough to provide places of solitude. They had work, they had rest, but most of all they had rescue.
God did not forget them, but provided salvation and abundance. Gen 7:24 says: The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. Then, they had to wait for the Earth to dry out. When Noah, his family and the animals were finally off the Ark, he sacrificed a burnt offering to God. He was grateful.
There are times we believe that God has forgotten us, abandoned His plans, our future. The story of Noah is a great reminder of all the details needed to execute a good plan. He provides for our needs while He prepares the land to receive our gifts. The very gifts He’s entrusted to us…UNTIL.
