Genesis 8:1-12

Genesis 8:1-12
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 

  Can you imagine the elation in that boat when it was evident that this trial was over?  Surely there were long periods where Noah and his family wondered if there would be any reprieve from their watery journey.  Surely, they wondered if God had indeed forgotten about them.
  So often, when we look back on this time, we do so with stories intended for children that make it seem so simple.  In the midst of it, though, it must have been tremendously complex and difficult for the people involved.  We know now that God led them through it, but I wonder if they didn't doubt whether or not they would make it through.
  When we face our own trials, we surely doubt at times whether or not we will make it through.  We wonder whether God is still with us, whether God has forgotten about us, whether there is hope for us beyond the trial.  In the midst, it is sometimes hard to lift our eyes from the trial we are facing.
  God never forgets us, never abandons us.  Biblical characters before us have endured, and they have been able to look back and see how God was at work throughout their trials.  May we take comfort in the ever-present reality and nearness of God, and may we draw hope from the fact that in Christ, we shall always overcome.