Genesis 8:6-19 (ESV)

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she 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 her and brought her into the ark with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth 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 forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. Then God said to Noah, “Go out from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.

What a strange moment this must have been as they exited the ark. Just imagine how Noah and his family felt – overwhelmed by relief, grief, fear, reverence, and just about anything else you can think of. It was all too much to process.

Actually, many science fiction dramas depict a similar situation – right after a nuclear holocaust. While the sci-fi dramas are obviously different, there’s one curious similarity – worrying about whether it’s safe to go out.

But this similarity ends up highlighting the big difference. After all the testing with the birds, God simply tells Noah, “Go out from the ark.” Unlike sci-fi, everything here is about God.

When Noah left the ark, he was completely at peace.

There is no greater joy than knowing – for sure – what God wants you to do. Even being almost sure is a thrill. But how can we be sure?

Hearing Him speak in an audible voice would definitely do the trick, but that’s not the norm. Still, we can get pretty sure, just with normal answered prayer such as opening and closing doors. This is the great reward of discipleship. If you seek to know (and do) God’s will, you will learn to hear His call. This may be rare (it has to be at first) but rare is still awesome.

Ask God to “treat” you to some clear guidance. Confess your weak listening skills and ask for clarity.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies