Safe But Uncomfortable
Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying. Two more months went by, and at last the earth was dry!
“Leave the boat, all of you—you and your wife, and your sons and their wives. Release all the animals—the birds, the livestock, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—
so they can be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth.”
Genesis 8:13-14, 16-17 NLT
http://bible.com/116/gen.8.13-14,16-17.nlt
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It's funny how we can be completely safe in God's palm, yet completely uncomfortable at the same time. Sometimes God puts us in situations which aren't what we would call paradise in the sun, but it's exactly where we need to be. We are wrapped up in His love and centered in His will, yet we find ourselves squirming and fidgeting as we wait for the season to pass.
No one ever said following God would be a walk in the park all the time. Yes, we definitely have our moments of bliss as we enjoy God's goodness toward us in this world. But it doesn't mean that He won't lead you to some smelly places, too, to make you learn and grow.
It makes me wonder what Noah learned on that boat. Maybe patience as he kept sending out the birds to check for dry land. Maybe thankfulness as he contemplated the depth of what was happening around him and how he somehow found favor with the Living God that saved him and his family. Or maybe he had a greater understanding of God's Holiness and Righteousness and how serious God is about sin and the evil that is in the world. Whatever Noah learned, there is one thing that we can be pretty sure of - he most likely came off that boat a changed man, for the better.
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