Dry is not completely dry.

The temptation of your TODAY is to act rather than wait for your TOMORROW. This goes against what we have probably believed our entire lives. Why wait for tomorrow when you can do it today?

“By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the ground was dry. ¹⁴ By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was parched.” (Genesis 8 v 13-14)

It is the 601st year of Noah’s life, and it is the first day of the first month. It feels like the start of a new year that we all experience on January 1st. It is a good day to act—a reset moment, a day to begin again. These can be good starting points. But Noah waited.

Then we notice a small detail that can easily be overlooked. Noah peels away part of the covering that protected them from the heavy rain. After surviving in the darkness of the ark, with its smells and noise, can you imagine the thrill of pulling back even a part of the covering, letting in the sunlight and a breath of fresh air? It must have been so exhilarating. This is a moment in all our lives that we need more of. This is a look moment, not a sign to leave. Noah waits again.

We need to slow down and remind ourselves that Noah isn’t disembarking yet, even though everything looks positive. The timing is right; the rain has stopped; the ground appears dry.

One more month and 27 days pass. Noah knew what we need to understand: what looks correct doesn’t mean it’s ready for us yet. Restraint is crucial for our discipleship.

In our lives, on so many occasions, we face the temptation to get things back to normal. None more so when we have gone through some traumatic experience. We want to move on to the next season. The dangerous time can be when all the signs point to it being that moment. Looking better may not be the starting gun to go ahead. Hold your nerve, wait, what looks dry is not completely dry. You need a good foundation; it will come. Wait a little longer. Forge courage so that you don’t move prematurely into your victory. Every part of you might be crying ‘Now’, but that might not mean ‘Move’.

Many who read this short devotion will have had these moments, and perhaps some are in them right now. Wait. Just a little longer. Dry is not completely dry.