The sign of the rainbow…
The sign of the rainbow…
I love rainbows! They are so cool! Do you find yourself identifying the different colors? I was hiking yesterday and saw a beautiful and vibrant rainbow…and God reminded me of His presence and care. Let me explain – in 2009, my family and I were getting ready to follow the call of God to Nome, Alaska to pastor the Church of the Nazarene there. I had lots of details and questions and concerns about our future on my mind. As I was standing at a gas station in Caldwell, Idaho I looked up and saw a magnificent rainbow. It was as if the Lord spoke directly to my heart and said, ‘it will be Okay, I’m going with you.’ It seemed that God was making a covenant with me and my family. He wasn’t promising that it would be easy – it certainly was not – but that He would go with us. God was so faithful in ways I couldn’t even imagine at the time.
Fast forward to yesterday…
It has been such a long season since coming to Mountain View to launch a retreat ministry and house church. So many questions, starting with wondering how God would take care of us in this season when I have not been able to find work to pay the bills. This has weighed very heavy on my heart…and then the rainbow. God has wonderfully provided some work and partners who are helping us financially – thank God! God has wonderfully and amazingly provided friends and companions for the journey during these months – thank God! The rainbow was again God’s message, ‘it will be okay, I am with you.’ Thank God!
In Genesis 9:13-17 we find the original rainbow and God’s covenant promise. Verse 13 – 16 says, “I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.”
Do you need to be reminded of God’s covenant with you today? Have you come to the end of yourself, the end of your endurance? God is with you. Has COVID, or the politics of COVID become so heavy that you can no longer carry the weight of it? I do not know what your specific challenge is today – only that we all go through times of challenge.
May God part the clouds and show you His rainbow today…and may you see it and thank God for His faithfulness in walking through stormy days with you. With a heart of faith, please know that God loves you this day. When you look at God’s covenant, it says that He ‘will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” You, my friend are one of God’s beloved creatures and He loves you.
