Faithful Waiting

God remembered Noah, all those alive, and all the animals with him in the ark. God sent a wind over the earth so that the waters receded.
— Genesis 8:1 (CEB)

The story of Noah and the Flood is a familiar one.  I often hear this story recounted as one of both God’s anger with humanity and God’s covenant with Noah.  But it is also a story of faithful waiting.  When Noah follows God’s command to build an ark, there is no sign of rain.  The people around him think he is crazy, but Noah persists, patiently following God’s instructions.  When the waters rise, Noah, his family, and all the creatures of the earth enter the ark. What must have been long and terrifying days and nights of waiting begin.  Scripture does not tell us what Noah does or thinks while waiting for the storm to cease and the waters to recede, but we know that “Noah did everything the Lord commanded him” (Gen. 7:5).   Noah followed God’s leading, and God remembered Noah.

Waiting faithfully is always an act of hope and trust in God.  Many writers in this issue describe experiences of waiting, seeking God’s guidance, and faithfully holding on to the hope that God’s power and love for us provide.  These stories of faithful waiting encourage me and remind me that God sends others to support us in our waiting and, most important of all, that God remembers us and is with us as we wait.  As you seek God’s guidance and wait in the coming months, I pray that these stories will give you courage, hope, and an opportunity to draw closer to God.