Rainbows and Promises

It's been a rainy summer in my neighborhood. Lots of thunderstorms and showers. But also lots of rainbows. As a Bible believer, there is something about rainbows that warms my heart — and it's not the supposed pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The rainbow’s reminder

When I see a rainbow, it reminds me of God's promises to us and of our future home in heaven.

That's not universal across cultures. In ancient Japan, it was said that the rainbow is an omen of bad luck because rainbows were thought to represent snakes. In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by a goddess using stones of five different colors and a symbol of the yin and the yang.

The rainbow in the Bible

Those stories don't fill me with the same kind of hope I find in God's Word. "Rainbow" only appears six times in the Scriptures: three in Genesis, one in Ezekiel, and twice in Revelation. 

You probably know the Genesis passages. God speaks to Noah and those saved from the Flood in Genesis 9:13-16. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth . . .. 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.

Both the Ezekiel passage and the Revelation passages associate the beauty of the rainbow with the glory of the LORD. We see that glory most brightly in Jesus.  2 Corinthians 4:6 says, God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Share the rainbow

Our loving Lord has gifted us with rainbows to remind us of his goodness, faithfulness, and love. 316NOW seeks to share this wondrous news with a world that cannot see the true significance of the rainbow and is often seeking an elusive pot of gold to satisfy its selfish and sinful desires. God’s grace calls on you and all Christians to share that message, too.

Life can indeed be stormy. Let God's rainbow remind you of the God who calms the storms with only a word and brings rainbows to reassure us of his promise and his love.

Prayer

Creator God, your Word reveals the promise contained in the beauty of the rainbow. It also shares a vision of the eternal glory your followers are destined to enjoy. Help us share the Good News that through Jesus our heavenly home is prepared for us in eternal glory.

By Dave Payne