March 13 Evening Devotional | Only Return and Be Restored | Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon

Evening, March 13 | “Then he put forth his hand, and took her [the dove], and pulled her in unto him into the ark.” —Genesis 8:9

This Evening's Scripture Reading: Genesis 8:1-12

“And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged; the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained; and the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat. 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 at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: and he sent forth a raven, which went forth to and fro, until the waters were dried up from off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground; but the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled her in unto him into the ark. And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark; and the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the dove; which returned not again unto him any more.”

Devotional Video Transcript:

Wearied out with her wanderings, the dove returns at length to the ark as her only resting place. How heavily she flies — she will drop — she will never reach the ark! But she struggles on. Noah has been looking out for his dove all day long, and is ready to receive her. She has just strength to reach the edge of the ark, she can hardly alight upon it, and is ready to drop, when Noah puts forth his hand and pulls her in unto him. Mark that: “pulled her in unto him.” She did not fly right in herself, but was too fearful, or too weary to do so. She flew as far as she could, and then he put forth his hand and pulled her in unto him. This act of mercy was shown to the wandering dove, and she was not chidden for her wanderings. Just as she was she was pulled into the ark.

So you, seeking sinner, with all your sin, will be received. “Only return” — those are God’s two gracious words — “only return.” What! nothing else? No, “only return.” She had no olive branch in her mouth this time, nothing at all but just herself and her wanderings; but it is “only return,” and she does return, and Noah pulls her in. Fly, wanderer; fly fainting one, dove as you are. Though you think yourself to be black as the raven with the mire of sin, come back to the Savior. Every moment you wait only increases your misery; your attempts to plume yourself and make yourself fit for Jesus are all vanity. Come to him just as you are.

“Return, backsliding Israel.” (Jeremiah 3:12) He does not say, “Return, repenting Israel” (there is such an invitation doubtless), but “you backsliding one,” as a backslider with all your backslidings about you. Return, return, return! Jesus is waiting for you! He will stretch forth his hand and “pull you in” — in to himself, your heart’s true home.

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Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening is a classic daily devotional that has been inspiring Christians for over 150 years. It is a collection of 732 meditations on Scripture, one for each morning and evening of the year. Spurgeon's writing is known for its clarity, insight, and wit, and his devotionals are full of practical wisdom and encouragement.

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