SNL's "Bu-Bye" -- Ready to Disembark

Have you ever been on an airplane flight and as it is landing, you see people putting their things away. Your plane is approaching the gate, and people are already on their phones texting and calling. They are standing up in the aisles as soon as the light goes off. They are in such a hurry, and then they stand. They stand there until the captain says it’s okay to disembark. The stewardess stands at the front or the back, and like the Saturday Night Live skit, they say, “bu-bye.” Can you imagine how eager Noah, his family and the animals must have been to get off of that ark?! Have you ever been anywhere that you just felt the need to get out! I have. It wasn’t fun…it was an elevator the size of a coffin! Don’t you know they were excited knowing the end was in sight? I would be flat down hysterical and giddy.



In Genesis 8, God remembers Noah or turns His attention to Noah and the ark. He sends His wind. It’s the same word used in Genesis 1:2 for when the Spirit hovered over the earth. The Spirit was present during the creation, and He’s present now at this new beginning. Have you ever stood outside having the sun warm your face as the wind blows across your skin? That’s what I’m going to use as a wonderful reminder that He is always present.

In contrast, the ark was darkness. Very little light. Tossing back and forth. The smells of animals. The sounds of animals. For 150 days. Can you imagine what life must have been like? The darkness alone can be depressing. Put yourself into their shoes…sandals. You’ve been in this boat for 150 days. How do you know when the ark stops moving? How long did it take for them to realize the ark had landed on something? There’s no rain. Noah decides to open the window. I would be sticking my face through whatever hole there was taking in long, deep breaths of fresh air feeling the sun on my face. I wonder if Noah did that. I wonder if he called his family to the window to get a breath of fresh air.

Noah decides to send out a raven. I remember reading Edgar Allen Poe’s story The Raven. (I wasn’t a fan of the bird before and definitely wasn’t afterwards.) I wonder if he sent out a raven because he thought there might be carcasses still around or what. Truth is, he didn’t know what to expect. God hadn’t told him what to expect. God is good like that. He reveals to us a little at a time allowing us to catch a glimpse of what He has in store, and yet He never reveals all of the surprises because it’s part of the journey.

I find the raven, though, an unusual choice. Maybe he was just tired of hearing that particular bird and set it out hoping it wouldn’t come back…hahaha.

The second go around he chose a dove. I can work with a dove. It was a dove that descended onto Jesus when He was baptized. In the book of Solomon, dove is a pet name for a lover. A dove is a good choice, and eventually the dove brings the olive branch that to this day is considered a sign of peace. So, Noah has his sign. He’s ready to rock and roll right on out of that ark as well as all of his family and animals. But he doesn’t. He waits. He sees what God has promised him. It’s right there in front of him, but Noah waits. What on God’s green earth is he waiting for? He’s waiting for God to tell him it’s okay.

Have you been so eager to do God’s will that you almost got ahead of Him? That would mean you were outside of God’s will. Have you ever been so eager to leave a journey, a problem or situation that you jump up out of your seat only to have to wait? Take a moment. Ask God to breathe into you new life, and trust Him to wait on His timing. (This is not my forte’. As a matter of fact, I’m waiting on Him right now.)