25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373

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"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved" (Hebrews 10:39).

We all enjoy rainbows after a rain storm. The scientific explanation for a rainbow is "an arch of colours in the sky caused by sunlight shining through water droplets in the atmosphere" (1). Another says that it is refracted light that causes the rainbow. One can even make a rainbow with a water hose. But these are just cold explanations of something more beautiful.

Rainbows have produced positive ideas in music and fiction. We are all familiar with the famous song, Over the Rainbow, from the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is trying to get to Oz to find the way home to Kansas. She sings:

Somewhere over the rainbow

Further in the song are these words:

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me

We have in our song book a song entitled The Rainbow of Love (2). This song speaks to the love of God.

In fiction we are all familiar with the "end" of the rainbow and the pot of gold to be found there if one sees and catches a leprechaun (3). It will bring one good luck and wealth.

When Yevette and I were on our honeymoon, driving late in the day in northern New Mexico, we were blessed to see a double rainbow after a storm we had driven through. I also remember seeing one at the corner of Aldine-Westfield and 1960. Rainbows just leave that type of impression.

But there is more to rainbows than just the beauty. The rainbow is provided by God and the story is found in Genesis 9. The context of the story is that the rainbow occurs after the flood waters recede in the days of Noah. Judgment has occurred on a wicked generation that left God and became both immoral and violent. After the flood, God tells Noah that life is important and that if a human murders another human, then his life is required of him. After this law is given, God makes Noah and humankind a promise; "I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth" (9:11). That’s good news! But there is more.

"And God said, ‘This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come; I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth" (9:12-13). Notice that God says that it is His rainbow that is set in the clouds. Interesting, isn’t that? Every time we see a rainbow, it is not just refracted water, it is God’s rainbow! For those of us that believe, this is great comfort.

He goes on to say: "Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 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" (9:14-16). This is more than a promise, it is a covenant between God and us. The rainbow is a reminder not only of God’s judgment but of His grace and mercy.

We all need rainbows in our lives to remind us of God’s promises. We find ourselves in difficult situations and circumstances throughout our lives. We struggle and seek some type of hope. Hope is one of those words that needs to be carefully defined. Most of the time when we say hope, we are just wishful in our thinking. This is not the Biblical idea. Hope is confident expectation that what God has promised will be fulfilled or completed. God has promised us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14). This means that one day, we will be in the presence of God.

When we see a rainbow, it should remind us that no matter how difficult life is, God will keep His covenant promises. This is unlike Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, who asked at the end of the song,

If happy little bluebirds fly

Rainbows are a positive sign of God’s promises. We need this! So next time you see a rainbow, remember the hope that God provides, especially through His Son, Jesus Christ.

George B. Mearns

(1) Oxford Dictionary of Current English, 4^th Edition.

(2) Praise For The Lord #838.

(3)The World Book Dictionary, 1988.