Three hours to the west, my friend’s son was late getting to the airport because of a torrential downpour. The rain and lightening were so intense, he had to pull off the road and wait for them to pass. Later, as I drove 20 minutes toward the storm, I began making mental notes – be sure to pick up my umbrella from under the seat, find a parking spot close to the door. I really did not want to get caught in the intense rain that was on its way.
As I continued toward my destination, my eye caught a portion of a rainbow in front of me. As I looked at this rainbow off in the distance, I remembered God’s promise to us:
“I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:11-16
God chose to remind us of His covenant with us by means of a rainbow. Wrapped up in any rainbow is a reminder that no matter how hopeless and decrepit humanity gets, we will not be destroyed. Rather, we will be given the chance to turn back to Him.
God’s Light Always Shines
As I continued to drive, I realized the morning sun was shining into the darkening clouds of the oncoming storm. In that sun and clouds I saw a symbol of our Father. His light is always shining; in the joys of our lives and more importantly in the storms, trials and darkness. The rainbow is unique. It appears only in a given set of atmospheric conditions. A prism will break light into a band of rainbow colors. Only a combination of clouds and sunlight produce the rainbow. And unlike the rainbow that appears only when these atmospheric conditions are just right, God’s light is always shining; showing us the way, reminding us of His love and illuminating the oncoming storm with a beauty all its own.
A Glimpse of Who God Is
Driving further along the road I came closer and closer to the rainbow. As I did, the colors became more intense, more distinct. I could see the bands of red, yellow, green, blue and purple and their brilliance filled my spirit with joy. A question came into my mind. Can anyone create something he knows nothing about? Or are our creations a result of what we already know? In other words, if I know nothing about music, how cords are structured, the interplay of harmony and melody, the development of themes and movements, can I write a symphony on the scale of Beethoven’s Ninth? No, I have no knowledge of how to put the notes together to produce a sound that is pleasing, thematic and incorporates not one but many instruments. Can God create something bigger and more magnificent than Himself? The rainbow began to give me a glimpse of who He is, the intensity, the brilliance, the grandness.
God Reigns Over All
One more surprise waited. As I turned a corner, I saw the other “leg” of the rainbow off in the distance. Though blue sky at the top of the “bow” prevented the connection of the two legs, there was not doubt they were part of the same rainbow. Again, a message of hope. As the blue sky reigned over the beauty of the rainbow below, so our God reigns over the chaos and ugliness of our world. Though He may be obscured for a time, it is only from our sight and not in reality. The clouds often obscure the blue sky above, yet they never mean the brilliance of the blue sky doesn’t exist.
As I arrived at my destination, the coming storm was still looming on the horizon . . . and I was assured of God’s love and involvement in our lives. The dark clouds that were brewing on my horizon began to reflect the magnificence of the rainbow, the intensity of color and somewhere, perhaps not completely visible at that moment, the blue sky above. The picture was one of hope – a rainbow of hope.