The Rainbow

Just like the ‘Christ’ in Christmas is being gradually eroded from culture, so the meaning of the rainbow has somewhat diminished. In one respect, the rainbow has come to be synonymous with the LGBT movement with the ‘rainbow flag’ colours being used as symbols to represent gay pride.  Across the world over, the colours of the rainbow are used as a sign of diversity and hope – they are not exclusive to the LGBT movement solely.

Most people get excited when they spot a rainbow in the sky. Pointing and exclaiming ‘Oh look, a rainbow!’ Some may tell their children that there is a pot of gold at the end of it. I am not sure anyone has yet found this pot of gold (maybe someone has already claimed it?). The rainbow is thus also linked to ideas of wealth, fortune and luck. It invokes wonder and hope to all that see it.

I saw a rainbow today. Every time I see one, I remember that the rainbow is a promise from God that he will never flood the earth again. A part of me hopes there are rainbows in heaven, even if it does look a bit like a scene from My Little Pony… Thinking about the rainbow in the sky, I gaze at its splendour and am saddened when it disappears from view. Sometimes I feel like that about God.

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The Promises

When I spend time with God and things are going well, it is easy for me to be in awe of God and remember his promises with gratitude and thanksgiving. However, when things are difficult in my life, I quickly forget about God’s promises and often, I try to shun God and place Him at the back of my mind like a teenager in a strop. Nonetheless, God’s promises never disappear. Like the rainbow, when the conditions are right, the colours appear in a glorious archway across the sky. God’s promises are true and unending. I may not see these promises working out the way I want them to, but I know that when the conditions are right, i.e. in God’s timing, the promise stands.

I think of Moses who led his people out of Egypt on a journey to the promised land where God would lead the Israelites. Moses never saw the promised land in his lifetime, and it would be Joshua who would lead them into it. However, God’s promise was fulfilled in His timing. The words that God said to equip Joshua are awesome in Joshua 1:1-9:

“After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— ⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea^[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. ⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For theLord your God is with you wherever you go.”

I wonder how Joshua felt in that moment. However, I am really encouraged that God is a God who keeps His promise. The bible is full of God’s promises to His people.

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Are We Missing The Rainbow and the Promise?

When I was walking earlier today, there were two women waiting for a bus and looking in the direction it was set to come from. Their eyes were expectant and hopeful – the bus would be here any minute. I think we are all like that when we wait for public transport, often to be bitterly disappointed when it is late! What the women failed to realise when they were so preoccupied with focusing on getting that bus was that there was a beautiful rainbow in the sky behind them.

This was a profound moment for me. I realised in my own life, that I am so intent and preoccupied waiting for the next thing (often impatiently), that I fail to notice that I am missing God’s promises. His promises are glorious, beautiful, splendid, amazing  – just like the rainbow.

My prayer is that I respond in the same enthusiastic way when I say ‘Oh, look! A rainbow!’ Instead, I will open my heart honestly before God as I read the bible and say, ‘Oh, look! God’s promises!’ If I fail to notice God’s promises and not get excited by how amazing they are, I am no different than the impatient person waiting for a very late bus. I miss all the beauty and promises I have, and instead, I exchange it for always waiting for something else or the next, ‘best’ thing.

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Can I Trust God To Keep His Promises? How Does That Fit With My Life?

Next time you see a rainbow, remember that there is a God who keeps His word. But, will you put your trust in Him?

If you would like to chat about this with me further, please leave me a message either on my blog, Facebook or Twitter. I would love to encourage you and build you up in this truth more! Read through this verse below and be encouraged. It is not about what we can do to please God. It is what God has done for each of us – reaching down in His love to save each one of us.

Romans 5:6-11

^“6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies,we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

God bless 🙂