“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 NIV) “
The story of “the flood” is one of the most well-known Bible stories, and could be considered one of the worst disasters recorded. Imagine, everything you know destroyed, everything covered in water. Many of us can do more than imagine because hurricane Ivan made sure of that in September of 2004. Everyone in Cayman lost something, and some people lost everything. Therefore none of us would ever be the same again.
But as bad as Ivan was, the flood is described as being even worse. Noah and his family, the only survivors of the flood, lost everyone they ever knew outside of their family of eight. The flood transformed the world because the earth was destroyed. When we experience our disaster, we sometimes ask, “Where is God now that I need Him? Why does He seem so distant when He should be near?” Disasters can come in many forms, but they all seem to leave us feeling overwhelmed with despair and feeling alone and wondering if God has forgotten us. Despite Noah’s firm belief in God, I wonder if he also experienced this feeling of abandonment because, in Genesis 8:1, the Bible tells us that God remembered Noah. However, God had not forgotten him, just as He has not forgotten you. But although God remembers, we sometimes forget, and therein lies the problem. That’s why it can sometimes feel as though we’re all alone. And so that’s what’s so special about this verse. It’s just the reminder we need when we start to experience doubt. Though we forget, God remembers.
The verse also mentions that God made a wind blow over the earth, and the wind made the waters subside. But the question I have is this, “How can you tell when God has sent wind?” Admittedly it feels and smells the same as any other wind. So how can you tell the difference? You do it by faith! You do it by believing it, though it can’t be seen. When we see seemingly random events in our lives that appear to be somehow orchestrated together for our benefit, it’s in those times that we choose to believe that God is the One working things together for our good. By faith, we believe that God sent those winds.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we all know what it’s like to experience disaster in our lives. Thank you for reminding us today that when we feel alone in our pain, you remember us, you care for us, and you are the One that sends those winds that make the waters (or disasters) subside. Amen
By Andrew Campbell
