At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him anymore.
Genesis 8:6-12a
Fast: from time drains
When the rain was over, Noah and his family had to wait many weeks for the floodwater to recede. Do you think they realized they would have to wait so long? Imagine the joy they experienced when they finally set foot on dry soil and looked out at the green haze of new leaves. The preceding discomfort of waiting often heightens the delight that can attend persistent joy.
Today, choose to fast from something that you use to make time pass more quickly, such as your phone or a particular type of media. Every time the desire to reach for that thing arises, let it remind you of the patience Noah and his family practiced and of the patience God practices with us.
Today’s photo prompt
What represents a time of patience when you have had to wait for the metaphorical flood waters to recede?