Waiting After the Promise

I recently had a moment. In my family, “a moment” refers to a state of emotional distress that is often verbalized with an attitude or complaints, expressed in tears or even actioned by seclusion.

I woke up on a Sunday morning definitely having a moment. I had just returned from a work trip where I had added personal fun on the end. I think that is why this moment caught me so off guard. I went from having fun and filling my day with laughter to holding back tears of frustration and anguish during a church service.

During worship at church, I struggled to focus on God. One of the worship leaders invited us to dance before the Lord and even though that was the last thing I felt like doing, I got my two-step on. I closed my eyes and lifted my hands in adoration of His grace and mercy. Yet, when I left church, my moment still lingered and I was on the brink of tears at any given time.

Self-awareness is important to me, so I immediately tried to understand where this moment was coming from. I reasoned, how could I feel lonely when I have been surrounded by people who love me?

How am I having a moment when I have literally been living my best life this year?

Is it simply PMS?

What have I been listening to? What have I been watching?

I realized that my moment was due to my frustration in waiting for God’s promise in my life. I was praying, fasting, working on my purpose and even encouraging others during my wait. Yet, nothing materialized that I could see. He’s given me dreams, revelations and confirmation yet so much seems unfulfilled.

My faith was beginning to waver and I was overcome with emotions: despair about if what I’m waiting for even exist, guilt about not having enough faith, anger for having to wait this long, fear that I would make a dumb decision due to lack of faith, ungrateful for caring about these things when there are much bigger issues in the world (I truly went down a rabbit hole).

God recalled the story of Noah (starting in Genesis chapter 6) and had me take a closer look at the events that took place in his life.

To give a quick recap:

• God made a covenant with Noah (Gen. 6:18) that while he would destroy the rest of a corrupt world, He would keep Noah, his families and the animals he took on board safe.
• Noah was 600 years old when he boarded the Ark. (Gen. 7:6)
• Not only did it rain for forty days and forty nights, the water stayed on the earth for a total of 150 days. (Gen. 7:17)
• It took over 2 ½ months for the waters to recede and reveal the tops of mountains.
• Noah had to wait over 4 ½ months to even open a window to send forth a dove and a raven. (Gen. 8:7)
• The dove never found a resting place, so they waited another seven days before sending it out for a second journey. This time, she came back with an olive leaf and even though there was evidence, Noah waited another seven days before sending her out on her third journey. This time she did not return. (Gen. 8: 9 – 12)
• Noah and his family were in the ark for approximately 378 days and Noah was 601 years old when they left the ark. (Gen. 8: 13 – 18)

Think about the anxiety that was building in that ark. You probably could have burst it with a pin. I get stir-crazy from being in my house more than two days straight, so imagine not being able to leave an ark because of rain. . . stuck with your family . . . and every species of animal on the earth . . . for over a year. Talk about having a moment. Geesh.

The anticipation from Noah and his family was almost palpable when they were finally able to send out the dove for the first time. The constant pitter-patter of raindrops had ceased, and a promise of a new beginning was one dove-flight away. They probably began packing up their belongings and excitedly talking about what it would be like to start new and fresh. The dove returned, interrupting their hopes of leaving soon, without any evidence of habitation.

They were probably extremely disappointed. The downpour had stopped and the waters had receded, but they still weren’t they able to leave? God had a made a covenant with Noah but after his first attempt with the dove, not much had changed. They were still in the ark, waiting.

Sound familiar? Maybe you have put your feelers out about your new business and know there is opportunity, but nothing tangible has come back. Not one call, no valuable email response and no new prospects for clientele. You know this was God’s idea but you’re wondering why everything hasn’t fallen into place yet.

Or maybe you have been waiting to start a family. You have tried every way, followed every rule, visited multiple doctors and even experimented with new medicines. Yet, you still have not been able to conceive. You’re wondering, much like Noah’s family probably was, what was the point of the rain if it doesn’t produce fruit?

After the dove’s first flight, Noah waited another seven days before sending the dove out again. Most of us would have sent it out the next day out of impatience and anticipation. We would have been planning and strategizing on how to get the dove back out there to search for new life. But Noah demonstrated discernment and exercised patience. I believe that he knew this was going to be a process and had properly prepared his mind and his expectations to wait.

That is key. Managing your expectations is a large part of the battle—especially after God has spoken to you about the promise. How do you stay determined to be patient and discern the voice of God enough to not get ahead of yourself and wait for the fulfillment of His promise?

Noah’s patience paid off. After sending the dove out the second time, the dove returned with an olive leaf.

I’m sure his family was elated because now they had proof that things were growing and moving along. The despair they felt seven days prior was erased and replaced with hope. New life was abundant.

Yet, Noah waited another seven days before sending the dove out again.

This is where I would have been giving Noah the side-eye. I would have reasoned that we had evidence that the land was habitable. If an olive tree can grow, there is food and we can leave.

Noah deciding to wait another seven days shows that he was waiting to receive confirmation from God and was not willing to get ahead of His plan. He was being led, not driven by his personal goals or the ambitions of those around him. No one was influencing him to walk a path that was not for him. He stayed steadfast to God’s plan for his life.

In today’s world where people parade the end product on social media, it’s easy to think that your promise should materialize immediately. They don’t show the early days where there were frustration and despair. They really don’t show the ups and downs of when they started to gain traction only to be delayed another week, month or year. No one is transparent enough to share their “moments” for the world to see. The behind-the-scenes look at when they had to wait before trying again is often edited. Putting all their trust in God versus acting on their own accord is often the part filtered out of the Instagram stories.

After another seven days, Noah sent the dove out and she did not return. His family was now ready to leave the ark. I’m sure his family rejoiced with the anticipation and excitement around starting over and leaving the ark.

But, if you recall, Noah sent out a dove and a raven. It was no mistake that Noah sent them both out to inhabit the land. You are probably wondering what happened to the raven during all of this back and forth from the dove.

The raven didn’t come back to the ark because it is the type of bird that could live off the dead, decaying carcasses left over after the flood. It was willing to take whatever the world had to offer in order to survive. The raven had to work harder because it was not willing to return back to the ark for restoration and purpose like the dove did. It flew around on its own accord, doing whatever it took to live another day.

The dove returning repeatedly back to the ark showed that it was not willing to live like the raven. It knew where it’s strength and nourishment came from, and that was not the scraps and decaying life of others. It repeatedly went back to the ark to replenish and receive direction for the next time it would have to go back out.

So often, I am tempted to live like the raven. I want to make anything work and live life on my terms, even when that means surviving off of the scraps of whatever the world has to offer. Instead of waiting on the promise God has confirmed for me, I have been tempted to compromise my beliefs for someone who isn’t seeking after God’s will for his life. Or, I am tempted to settle for part of what I want because I’m too impatient to wait for the rest. Unlike the dove, I have been resistant to return to the Source and wait on His timing, His direction and His guidance.

The raven not returning to the ark told Noah that death was still covering the earth. The dove returning showed that peace was not yet available at an inhabitable level needed for his family’s survival. Therefore, his wait in sending out the dove was a wait for new life, a wait for peace, a wait for new beginnings.

When we’re waiting for what God has for us, seven days can feel like forty and forty days can feel like a year. We can choose to live like the raven and accept the scraps of life as our only option, or we can live like Noah and the dove, turning to God for our wisdom and asking for direction on what to do next — all while living in expectation that we will one day feast on the joys of God’s promises in our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I choose the latter. Genesis 8:1 says, “But God remembered Noah,” and I believe He remembers you and me. He remembers the vision He gave you. He remembers the dream He dropped in your mind. He remembers the desires of your heart.

Waiting after the promise is often the hardest thing to do. It seems like this year is flying by and it has been peppered with easy days, crying days, happy days and confused days. But through the story of Noah, God reminded me that as long as I wait on Him, I’ll be right on time. No matter what, don’t give up. While it may sometimes feel like the rain will never end and the waters haven’t receded, God is drying things up and making my path straight and plain.

Keep returning to God during your “moments” and pouring your heart out to him. He hears you, He sees you and He cares. He is also sending you help to encourage you in your time of need.