The ark landed about 150 days after the rain stopped but they still didn t leave it until the dove he sent out didn t return and God told them it was safe to leave. Noah faithfully waited for God to tell him what to do. The land had to dry considerably before it would have been habitable. Imagine coming to the end of a long trip and not being able to get out of the car for ten months longer. But Noah waited for God s perfect timing.
Patience is perhaps one of the bigger elements of faith.
Without patience, we tend to abandon God and try to solve things for ourselves. And we end up where Noah would have if he d abandoned the ark before it was time, in a quagmire. There is a Christian joke of sorts that says not to ask God to teach you patience unless you are prepared to suffer. It s through the trials of life that we do learn patience. It s through messing things up and trying to do it our way that we discover God s way is not only the best, it s the easiest and least painful.