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40 Days & 40 Nights

By: Alan Harvey

Posted: February 24, 2018

Category: Daily Devotional

The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:12

A time period of forty days and forty nights does not seem terribly long! It is just shy of six weeks by forty-eight hours. If you were taking one of these large cruise ships that has every possible amenity, it might not seem so bad if it rained forty days and forty nights, yet all of the activities on deck would be cancelled. Most likely everyone on board would sooner or later experience “cabin fever.” Come to think of it, forty days and forty nights seem like a long time indeed.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, “Noah with his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons entered the ark, they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every bird of every kind – every bird, every winged creature. They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. And those that entered male and female of all flesh, went in as God commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.”
Genesis 7:13-16

Can you imagine being cooped up with all those animals and being in an ark, whose windows were closed because, it was raining cats and dogs outside? Of the ark, someone has rightly noted, “If it weren’t for the storm outside you couldn’t stand the stench inside.” Even when families love one another, at times members get on other members’ nerves when experiencing so much togetherness. God’s grace proved sufficient for their needs as they lived in that floating zoo and as they lived among those closest to them, who no doubt got testy at times. I am sure that they had to take that portion of their life one day at a time. I also am certain that they trusted God to provide. Those are two simple lessons about forty days and forty nights that would serve us well as we live each day, come rain or come shine.

Prayer

O God, help us to live one day at a time and to trust that You will always provide for our needs. Amen.