When the Dove Does Not Return

There is a special pain that follows losing someone, or something. It could be the passing of a loved one, it could be losing something significant in general. When they are removed from our lives, heartbreak ensues and questions follow. If you have lost someone, and are going through that pain, this devotion is for you. If you are not in that place, it will still serve as great encouragement. The following passage of Scripture was a special revelation for me, and I trust it will help you.

Genesis 8:6-12

"So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."

At first glance, reading "the dove did not return again to him anymore" could be seen as negative. But its quite the opposite. Let's think about it, Noah had just spent 40 days and 40 nights on the ark and had endured the flood. Imagine dark and lonely nights as waters roared outside, imagine the desolation and wondering if the rain was ever going to stop. Then, he sends out a dove to check the water. First she could not find a place to put her feet, then she comes back with an olive leaf in her mouth, which means the water was steadily decreasing, then last but not least, he lets her go and she does not return.

What this means for us is that we might endure great rain, might endure dark and lonely nights, but it is gradually getting better! Remember seasons do not last forever.

The dove not returning was an incredible sign to Noah! The storm was over! God then spoke to Noah and told him to come forth from the ark and to be fruitful and multiply!

What joy?!

To bring this home, if someone has left your life and they have not returned, maybe, just maybe, it is a sign for a new beginning. Maybe it is not a negative thing at all, what if it is God's sign to you to move on and be fruitful and multiply in a new place?

Be blessed, and I hope this has encouraged you in some way. Shaun