A PROMISE IN THE CLOUDS
A PROMISE IN THE CLOUDS
It had been a stressful week. My husband was in the hospital once again. There was a pile of bills sitting on the kitchen table, waiting to be paid. I knew I did not have the money to pay them. After my twelve-hour day, I was finally on my way home, from my two part-time jobs. I was so tired and knew I was going to have to do it all again tomorrow. Is it just me, or do you also, start feeling sorry for yourself, like I was, when there is just not enough time in the day to do all, you have to do? The weight of the world was weighing on my heart! Almost everyday something else seemed to happen to push me down deeper into the dark abyss I found myself in. Of course, to top off my gloomy mood, it had been raining non-stop for days. The clouds were dark and ominous showing signs of another serge of rain heading my way feeding into my gloom.
Then, all of a sudden, there it was. A promise in the clouds! Not just one promise, but a double promise. A double complete rainbow! The colors were bright and beautiful against the dark clouds. Have you ever seen a double rainbow? Perfection, peace and the glory of the Lord, shone brightly. God was reminding me that He was right there with me and His promises were still true.
In Genesis 9, we read about a family who also saw a rainbow of hope. Noah, his family and animals lived together in the ark, while the flood waters engulfed the earth. Noah and his family were saved from the flood that covered the earth and every living creature. No time out from the animals or each other. They could not go take a walk in the woods, or sit by a babbling brook to find a sense of peace from the world. They had to rely on the promises made by God to keep them safe and secure. Then, after the waters receded, Noah, his family and the animals left the ark into a new world. A world fresh and clean, washed from all evil. This is a promise we are given through the act of baptism. When we are raised from the water of baptism, we feel fresh and clean of all impurities. (1Peter 3:20-22)
God made a covenant (or promise) with them and a covenant to be passed on to generations forever, including ours. In Genesis 9:11 reads “Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And verses, 15-16, “And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” I am afraid of deep water, that promise from God gives me so much comfort. God’s promises were good in the past, in our present and in our future!
Have you ever wondered why God made the rainbow so beautiful? Why are there different colors, instead of it just all orange or green? Why is it always in a half circle pointed down? The only simple answer is, God knew that it would be a very welcoming beautiful sight after a brutal storm. God knew that after our storms in life, the beautiful rainbow would give us hope on our gloomy days like I was having. God gave me a double promise! God’s promise in the clouds, is encircling downward showing us that God is circling us in His complete peace and love. When God makes a promise, He keeps it. Thank you, God!
I have a bad habit, these days, of forgetting the reason for the rainbow. When I see the rainbow, the LGBTQ community uses to represent diversity and unity within their community; I think of them and not the real reason God gave us the beautiful rainbow. Do you also think that? God gave us that beautiful rainbow to help us remember: His promises, His hope, His love, His peace, His salvation, His protection, His anchor, His consistency. Don’t let the symbol used by the LGBTQ community to distract you from the real reason for that beautiful rainbow of promise in the sky!
Have you ever noticed how quickly a rainbow disappears? By the time I had called my family at home, to look out the window, it was gone. God gives us fleeting glimpses of His presence every single day. We see: a baby’s smile and laugh, a beautiful cardinal in a tree, an eagle soaring about a mountaintop, the sound of water cascading over a rocky riverbed, the rustle of leaves in a tree and yes, a rainbow in the clouds. God gives us these signs as a visual reminder that He is real-that He is true to His promises-that He will help us to put one foot in front of the other when it just seems impossible. We can make it one more day, one more hour, one more minute. Yes, God is true to His promises and He gave us a visual promise in the clouds! I have never seen a complete double rainbow again, a double promise from God. The next time I see a single or double rainbow; I will remember God’s promise to generations before and generations to come. Thank you, God for a promise in the clouds!
Till next time!
Keela