God is Working in the Waiting
Ever wrestled with silence, unsure of what to do next? Have you felt stuck, believing that God remembers you, yet feeling forgotten because of the delay? If so, today’s devotion from Dianna Hobbs offers a powerful word of encouragement just for you.
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God said, “Tell My people, I’m still working in the waiting. Things are shifting even when it feels like they’re standing still. I’m up to something great!”
Isn’t that a mighty good word from the Lord? He dropped it in my spirit during my private devotion time. When He said share it, I didn’t hesitate.
And here’s something else He told me to tell you.
Over the weekend, I walked into a Sunday morning service for the first time since 2019.
Maybe that doesn’t sound earth-shattering. But for me, it was nothing short of a miracle.
It will be six years in August since a ministroke and traumatic brain injury rewrote the script of my life and shut everything down. My immune system turned fragile. My anxiety ran wild. My PTSD flared up without warning. I could no longer walk through the doors of a physical church building. I’ve been faithful online, praying in private, but I hadn’t set foot inside a Sunday sanctuary, until now.
When I finally did, I wept. I worshiped. I lifted trembling arms and let the tears fall as the wind of the Holy Spirit swept over me. It wasn’t easy. My nerves were shredded. My body is still rebuilding. My mind is still mending. But I showed up, and God met me and fed me there.
Back in March, I felt the Lord nudge me to host a prayer service and preach. I said yes. That was my official first time back in a sanctuary since 2019. But afterward, I got sick, knocked flat for more than a month! My immune system took another hit. I’ve been recovering, slowly.
I don’t know when I’ll be strong enough to gather with the saints in person consistently. But here’s what I do know: God is faithful. He hasn’t forgotten me, just as He didn’t forget Noah in Genesis 8, the passage He led me to this morning.
The first verse says it all: “But God remembered Noah…” (Genesis 8:1, NIV).
That tiny phrase marks the turning point of the flood story.
But if you look closely, you’ll notice something: even after God remembered Noah, the doors of the ark didn’t swing open. The ground didn’t dry up overnight. The waiting wasn’t over.
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How Long
Noah, his family, and every creature on the ark still had a long journey ahead. Over a year would pass from the first raindrop to the moment they finally stepped onto dry ground. The rain itself lasted 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12). Then floodwaters covered the earth for another 150 days (Genesis 7:24).
Even after the storm ended, the waiting didn’t.
The ark eventually came to rest (Genesis 8:4), but months passed as the waters slowly receded. Mountaintops began to appear (Genesis 8:5), and the ground gradually dried out (Genesis 8:13).
Not until the 27th day of the second month of the following year did God finally tell Noah it was time to leave the ark (Genesis 8:14–16).
Altogether, Noah and his family spent just over a year, about 370 days, shut inside, waiting for God’s signal that it was safe to begin again.
That’s the part we rarely talk about: how long the waiting really lasts.
Sometimes the hardest part of faith isn’t surviving the storm; it’s enduring the slow, silent stretch that comes after. The days, weeks, or even years when the only thing to do is trust that God hasn’t forgotten you.
And that’s something we often struggle to accept: just because God promises a thing doesn’t mean the fulfillment will come right away. Sometimes, God remembers and still asks you to wait.
But hear me: delay is not denial.
God is working even now. (Credit: Instagram/EmpoweringEverydayWomen)
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The Wind
Scripture says, “God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters began to recede” (Genesis 8:1b).
That wind reminds me of the Spirit. In both Hebrew (ruach) and Greek (pneuma), the word for “spirit” also means “wind” or “breath.” When God sends the wind, things start to shift, not always quickly, not always visibly, but always, inevitably.
Listen, friend. Maybe you feel trapped in the ark right now. No open doors. No clear path. No dry ground in sight.
But if God has remembered you—and He has—the wind is already blowing. Something is moving beneath the surface. Something is shifting in the spirit, even if you can’t see it yet.
Speaking of the spiritual, look at the dove in this biblical account.
After months of drifting in the ark, though Noah sent out a raven which kept flying back and forth (Genesis 8:7), it’s the dove that carries divine significance.
Three times, Noah released a dove to test the waters, literally and spiritually. The first time, it came back empty-beaked, having found no place to rest (Genesis 8:9). The second time, it returned with an olive leaf, a universal sign of peace and new beginnings (Genesis 8:11). The third time, it didn’t come back at all (Genesis 8:12). It had found a place to settle, confirming what Noah couldn't yet see with his natural eyes: the earth was drying, and the season of waiting was ending.
Even in the ark, sealed in, shut away, suspended between what was and what would be, God sent signs. Subtle signals. Divine confirmations that life was coming forth again. That dry ground was soon to appear. That the drifting wouldn’t last forever.
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When the Spirit says Move
Later in Scripture, the dove appears again. Remember?
This time, it was descending from Heaven as the visible representation of the Holy Spirit at Jesus’ baptism: “The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove” (Luke 3:22, NIV). It rested on Him peacefully, powerfully, and publicly, marking the beginning of His earthly ministry.
Notice something: Jesus didn’t announce Himself, did He? He didn’t step forward before the appointed time. He waited for the dove, the Spirit, to signal the shift.
Also, Noah didn’t carelessly fling open the ark and decide it was time to move on his own. Just as with Jesus in the New Testament, we see in this Old Testament account with Noah that it was the Spirit, represented by the dove, that gave the release.
That’s a word for you, friend!
“I hear a sound from Heaven. A supernatural shift is on the way—a divine release in the spirit, just for you. Get ready!”
Only the Spirit can declare, “It’s time.” Not your emotions. Not the calendar. Not outside pressure. Only the One who leads and guides into all truth knows when the conditions are right for your next move.
If Noah had stepped out of the ark too soon, he, his family, and every living creature onboard would have drowned. The earth wasn’t ready. The timing wasn’t right. But when God gave the signal, through the quiet flutter of wings and the absence of the returning dove, Noah knew: Now it’s safe. Now it’s time.
And hear me well: Just because the doors haven’t opened doesn’t mean God has forgotten. He’s still working. He’s still speaking. He’s still sending signs.
And when the Spirit says move, you’ll know. And when He says wait, trust Him. Because your safety, your promise, and your future all depend on His perfect timing.
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And What of the Ark?
All the while, Noah remained inside the ark, a vessel God instructed him to build with painstaking detail (Genesis 6:14–16).
The Lord told Noah exactly what kind of wood to use: gopher wood, known for being durable and water-resistant. He gave exact dimensions: 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. That’s roughly the size of a modern-day aircraft carrier. God even instructed him to coat it inside and out with pitch, a waterproof sealant, and to add a window, a door, and three decks.
The ark was not elegant. It had no sails. It was not built for speed or control. It was built to float, to preserve, and to last. The ark was God’s provision for a prolonged storm. It was engineered to hold steady through violent waves and to protect its passengers during a long, uncertain waiting season.
The ark represents the in-between. The space between promise and fulfillment, storm and sunshine, devastation and restoration. It wasn’t Noah’s final destination, but it was the place God prepared to carry him through—not just the crisis, but also the waiting.
Jesus Said—I Am
Aren’t you so glad we serve a God who doesn’t just provide a way out but also provides a way through?
Jesus is that way.
When you feel lost in the fog of uncertainty, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, NIV).
When you feel like hope is dead and doors are sealed shut, Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9, NKJV).
When the darkness of depression, fear, or confusion sets in, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, NIV).
When you’re weary from the waiting and your soul feels empty, Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35, NIV).
When it looks like you won’t survive this season—when it feels like everything has died, from your strength to your dreams, and you're standing in the rubble of what once was—Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live” (John 11:25, NIV).
Friend, you’ve got to believe. Believe He’s making a way. Believe He’s opening doors.
Believe He’s chasing away the darkness. Believe He’s filling every void. Believe He’s resurrecting and restoring. Believe He’s working while you’re waiting!
To remind you of this truth, I’m stirring a powerful verse—Isaiah 64:4 NLT—into your cup of inspiration as sweetener for your soul: “For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, be confident that the promise of God’s Word is coming to pass in your life. He works for those who wait for Him. You will be richly rewarded for enduring this time of testing while trusting God to do what He always does: be faithful to His Word.
Now, let’s pray.
God, thank You for assuring me that the wait—however long—is not in vain. You have not forgotten me. You have not passed over me. But You have remembered me and are working behind the scenes in my favor, honoring my faith even now. When my heart grows weary, please put me in remembrance of Your promises and strengthen me during my in-between season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Did this message bless you? Sow a seed into Dianna Hobbs’ ministry to help her share God’s word. As you give, may God richly reward you.
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As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
