The Long Exhale

Date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 – Epiphany of the Lord

Genesis 8 is the long, quiet exhale after the trauma of the flood. The storm has stopped, but the waiting is grueling. Noah is stuck in a floating zoo, sending out a raven and then a dove, over and over. It’s a season of "not yet." The world is being reborn, but for Noah, it’s just a muddy, silent mess.

Yet, Scripture hits us with a pivot: "God remembered Noah." This doesn’t mean God had a lapse in memory; it means God moved into action on His covenant promise. Today is Epiphany; the day we celebrate God revealed to the world in human terms we can understand. Usually, we think of a bright star and gold-bearing Magi, but for Noah, Epiphany looked like a tiny olive leaf in a bird’s beak. It was a small, green sign of grace in a drowned world. It was proof that judgment isn’t the end game.

Psalm 6 matches this mood of exhaustion. "My soul is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord, how long?" This is the raw, unedited cry of someone who is just...done. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to ask "how long?" Even the Magi, trekking across deserts for months, must have felt that weariness. And Noah, staring at the same horizon for a year, surely felt it.

The beauty of the Gospel is that God isn’t offended by our burnout. He doesn’t demand a polished prayer; He hears the sound of our weeping.

In our era of instant gratification, we naturally despise Genesis 8 seasons. We want the flood to be over and the ground to be dry... now. But God is often doing His deepest work in the receding waters, clearing away the old to make room for the new.

If you are in a season of "how long," look for your olive leaf. On this Epiphany, remember that God’s "revealing" isn't always a blinding spotlight; sometimes it’s just a tiny sign that the tide has turned. It might seem trivial or insignificant, but it’s the promise that dry land is coming. So hold on. The Light has been revealed, and God remembers you.

Devotional Prompts:

Where in your life are you currently asking God ‘how long?’
What does a small olive leaf of hope look like in your current circumstances?
How does the truth that God remembers you change your perspective on seasons of silence?
When you are weary from groaning, do you turn toward God with your tears or away from Him? Why?

Prayer: Father, I am weary and my soul is troubled. Teach me to wait for Your timing and to trust that You remember me even in the silence. Thank You for the small signs of new life You send my way today. Amen.