Genesis 8:5-6

And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen. And it came to pass…

I love that phrase.

It came to pass.

It did not come to stay.

That storm which had seemed endless came to pass. Those waves that had battered the ark day after day came to pass. The flood that had once covered everything did not have the final word. In time, the waters decreased, and at last the tops of the mountains were seen.

That ministers to me because when you are in the middle of a storm, it never feels temporary. It feels permanent. It feels like this is how it will always be. Noah had been shut up in the ark for months. Day after day it was the same sight, the same motion, the same waiting. But all the while, though he could not yet fully see it, the waters were decreasing continually.

That is such a word for us.

There are times when God is working in ways we cannot measure yet. We look around and think nothing has changed. The sorrow still hurts. The pressure still weighs. The uncertainty still lingers. But beneath what we can see, the waters may already be going down.

Continually.

Quietly.

Surely.

And then one day, what was hidden becomes visible. The tops of the mountains are seen. The thing you could not imagine when the flood was at its worst begins to appear. A little stability. A little clarity. A little evidence that the storm did not win after all.

That is why I love this phrase so much.

It came to pass.

The grief came to pass.
The confusion came to pass.
The dark night came to pass.
The hard season came to pass.

I am not saying it was light. I am not saying it was easy. I am not saying it did not leave its mark. The flood was real. The storm was real. But it passed.

And that is one of the quiet mercies of God. He does not allow every storm to rage forever. He sets limits. He appoints seasons. He says to the waters, “This far and no farther.” And eventually, always in His time, it comes to pass.

Beloved, maybe you need that today. Maybe you are still in the ark. Maybe you are still waiting for the tops of the mountains to appear. Then hold on. The waters do decrease continually, even when you cannot yet see it. The storm is not permanent. The flood is not forever. In the providence of God, it too will come to pass.