God's Silence in Your Greatest Turmoil

We’ve been reading through some of the stories in Genesis lately in our family devotions. Last night was Genesis 7 and tonight was Genesis 8. It is the story of Noah. In Genesis 7:1, the Lord speaks to Noah to enter the ark and shares with him that He is going to make it rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah obediently builds the ark and does all the Lord commands him.

Noah is faithful.

What God does not tell Noah—at least from what we know in Scripture—is that he will be on the ark for at least a year (exact estimates vary…but generally between 360-380 days total). Think about what was going on during that year. First, the rains came and the fountains of the deep burst forth. This was not just a gentle spring rain. It was a violent reordering of creation that took only 40 days for the entire earth to be flooded to a height 20 feet above the highest mountain peak.

Noah certainly felt the jolting of the ark as it broke from the ground. When it rose with the floodwaters, Noah would have felt the ark rocking back and forth…rolling with the crests and troughs of the waves. He had no control. There was no rudder to steer, no sails to harness the wind. Since it had not rained on the earth before, the experience of rain, wind, lightning and thunder would have all been new.

In all this, God does not speak.

When the rains stopped and Noah waited…and waited…and waited for the floodwaters to recede, what were his thoughts? When the ark first started bobbing against the peaks of Mount Ararat, did he think the hull might give way? When the ark wedged into the mountain, did the groans of the wood being pressured against the rocks cause him to wonder if after all he had been through would he survive what was to come?

In all the encounters Noah may have had on the ark, we have no record of God speaking to him. No record of God telling him what he was experiencing was the normal course for a novice seafarer. No record of God telling him in an orderly way the reason for what he was experiencing. “Now Noah, the ark will make some frightening noises when it rests on the mountains in a few days, but don’t worry, you did a good job on the construction and it will hold.” No words. No small voice. No inner nudge. Nothing.

When God finally speaks to Noah, it is at the end of this ordeal. God says to Noah in Genesis 8:15, “Come out of the ark…” In fact, God speaks frequently to Noah after he exits the ark. The majority of chapter 9 is God talking with Noah clearly about the future. But these conversations were after the experience of the flood, the waves, the wind and the darkness.

While the Ark was probably one of the most difficult experiences in Noah’s long life, it was also the place of his greatest blessing. He was saved in the ark. He escaped the destruction of everything around him. Had it not been for the ark, Noah would have been destroyed. He would have been overtaken by the flood. The flood impacted him, but because of the ark it did not break him.

In our devotions around the dinner table tonight, it really struck me that while the ark was such a blessing, it was also such a difficult place; it was the time when God was most silent.

Know that the most difficult part of your journey might actually be the pinnacle of your greatest blessing. The unknown lurching back and forth in your life might be the very point where the Lord remembers you (Genesis 8:1). In all your challenges…your darkness…your sleepless nights, know that God has a plan. His plan WILL come to pass. Because the wind and thunder seem to take the place of His voice, do not doubt that He is watching and leading you to the place of perfect peace. He will speak again. He will tell you to “come out….” once more (8:15).