A RAINBOW IN THE STORM

According to scripture God used a rainbow as an image for Noah as a promise he wouldn’t flood the earth again the way he had to destroy the Antediluvian World. And somewhere in the course of time there has evolved a tradition that there is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow providing you could find the end.

I’ve seen a few rainbows in my day. The most vivid and memorable for me took place when my wife and I were in Hawaii. Normally a rainbow is one that only appears as an arch or partial rainbow. In this situation what we was a rainbow that was a full half a circle. We could see both ends practically touching the opposite end of the ground. It truly was very breathtaking. But again for me it was a very rare experience. Although I know I have also had the occasion when I saw a double rainbow. That is when you see two rainbows or parts of rainbow next to each other. Again it isn’t the normal experience.

For all the visual joy a rainbow possesses and the promise of God it is suppose to represent as a rule they are still associated with a time after a storm, instead of something you see actually during a storm. So what am I referring to by a rainbow in the storm? I am speaking of the ability to see God’s promise during a crisis, if only by faith.

That is probably the time we truly need that assurance the most. For when the storm is raging we truly are the most in need of some calm and hope.

To the man or woman of faith then a rainbow can be the memory of promise where we recall a time of another storm and how God watched over us and kept his promise. It can be the rainbow of trust we see with our soul that gives us hope when the storm causes us to want to give up.

With a person who doesn’t trust to the Lord his or her rainbows will have to rely on something other that the Word of God for their memory. Unlike God who is unchanging and faithful trust in any other form of rainbow carries with it uncertainty. The deliverance that came through some past means doesn’t guarantee the same will happen this time.

So unto the follower for Christ the storm can be a time of rejoicing. One where we have a chance to see the Lord once again shine through the storm.

And if by chance this particular storm comes just before we go home to be with the Lord then the rainbow we see in eternity will be even more spectacular than any we could ever imagine in this life. That at least makes looking for the rainbow in each storm so much more comforting than simply looking at the storm and seeing nothing else.

Above all is the joy of knowing no matter what happens the storm will never affect us to the degree it might as long as we have God’s umbrella of forgiveness. And the great thing is that is it available in all kinds of weather. May God grant each of us the sight to see his perfect rainbows in all imperfect storms.