The Raven and the Dove (Genesis 8:6-14)

Please read Genesis 8:6-14.

One of the reasons that I was happy to move back to Maryland was the Baltimore Ravens (and of course to be closer to family, and obey God, etc., etc.). I have been a huge Ravens fan for years, and was sorely disappointed to live for so long in Texas and not be able to see many of their games, especially when number 8 was doing such a great job leading the team.

As a fan of our Baltimore NFL team, it gave me great pleasure to see that Noah chose, not a falcon, or an eagle, or a seahawk, or a cardinal, but a RAVEN! What’s more, the raven was so strong that it “went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth.” Play like a Raven! Be so strong that you never need to rest! What a great encouragement for this devotional, now let's get ready for some football! …You know whenever its safe for us to leave our houses again…

But seriously, the raven was strong, but he didn’t tell Noah anything because he never returned. So, Noah relied on a dove. The dove “found no place to set her foot,” so she came back to Noah, and he knew that the earth was still flooded. Unfortunately, his forty day wait on the top of the mountain was not long enough for the flood to recede. You can understand Noah’s logic though, right? After all, the rains had come down for 40 days, so, maybe after waiting for forty days the flood would have dissipated. But not so fast.

The Great Flood was the single most cataclysmic event that our world has ever experienced (other than perhaps creation). The earth would take some time adjusting to this “new normal”: There was no longer a canopy over the earth; there were no longer fountains of the great deep; the continents had likely shifted; there would now be a cycle of precipitation that previously didn’t exist; there were likely new volcanoes, islands, mountain ranges, etc; there were previously lush fields that would now be deserts, and many other great changes.

Noah was certainly in a hurry to get off of the ark, the our precious earth needed some time to allow the waters to recede: forming massive glaciers at the poles, being evaporated into clouds, and perhaps even sinking back into the fountains of the deep.

Only after another two weeks would it be safe for Noah and his family to exit the ark. Yet, even then, Noah was cautious, and, as we will find out tomorrow, he waited for God to tell him to go out of the ark, before he left it.

Sometimes we want things to happen fast; we want them to happen in our timing! But we need to be patient. Sometimes, the Raven doesn’t come back when we send it out for good news. Sometimes, we send out the dove for good news, and it comes back with more bad news. Yet, in the midst of it all, God is still on His throne. God is still watching over us, and He is working all things out behind the scenes for the good of those who love Him.

Today, if you are waiting on the Lord, may I encourage you to worship while you wait. He will answer you, but even though He hasn’t answered yet, He is still worthy to be praised.