What Happened During the 40?

Read

Read Genesis 7:17–24; 8:1–5 slowly.

Genesis 7:17–18

17 The flood continued for 40 days on the earth; the waters increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth.

18 The waters surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water.

Genesis 7:24

24 And the waters surged on the earth 150 days.

Genesis 8:1–5

1 God remembered Noah, as well as all the wildlife and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water began to subside.

2 The sources of the watery depths and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky stopped.

3 The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the waters had decreased significantly.

4 The ark came to rest…

5 The waters continued to recede…

Notice how long Noah’s “40” actually became.

The rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights, but the waters surged much longer. What began as 40 became months of waiting, floating, and uncertainty.

The ark had no visible destination.

Noah could not steer it, control it, or force the waters to recede.

He could only remain where God had placed him and trust the God who had shut him in.

Sometimes the hardest part of a “40” is not what begins it, but what happens while it seems nothing is changing.

Sit with that before moving on.

Reflect

There is something deeply human in the silence of Noah’s waiting.

Day after day, the same walls. The same waters. The same uncertainty.
And yet, Scripture says, God remembered Noah.

That does not mean God had forgotten him and suddenly recalled him. It means God was mindful of Noah and moved to act in faithfulness.

Even when Noah could not see movement, God was at work.

That is often what happens during our own “40 seasons.” What feels like inactivity may actually be a hidden season of preservation, formation, or preparation.

Waiting is rarely empty in the hands of God.

Could it be that in seasons where you felt forgotten, God was doing deeper work than you realized?

Sit with that question for a moment.

Respond

Consider a season in your life when it felt like nothing was changing.

What happened in you during that waiting?

Did God expose fears, deepen trust, teach surrender, or form endurance?

And looking back, where might God have been working beneath the surface while you thought you were simply drifting?

Write honestly.

There is no need to rush this.

Pray

Lord, help me trust You in seasons when I cannot see what You are doing. When waiting feels long and silence feels heavy, remind me that You have not forgotten me. Teach me to believe that even in stillness, You are working for my good and Your glory. Form in me a deeper trust while I wait. Amen.

Prepare for Day 3

Tomorrow we will consider:

What shift took place?

When did the waters begin to recede?

And how do we recognize when God is turning a season toward a new day?