One of Sunday’s Scripture readings covered Noah’s ark emerging from the flood.
Go figure the animals partied when they hit land!
But there’s more to the story: rainbows and covenants. After the massive flood destroyed everything in Noah’s time, God symbolically placed a rainbow of hope in the sky and promised never again.
“God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth…between Me and you…” (Genesis 8:12-15)
A rainbow is a sign of hope, a sign of God’s covenant with us, a sign of God’s love.
Maybe we haven’t endured end-of-the world floods of apocalyptic proportions, but there are other kinds of floods that submerge us. Take grief, for instance.
Our precious Mama died a year after Papa. The year she died my brother Dwight and I could not bear being here at home for Thanksgiving without both of them. Instead, we spent that week traipsing around sunny Florida.
On Thanksgiving Day we plopped chairs down on a deserted stretch of New Smyrna Beach. Teary from the wind (yeah, right) talking about Mama and Papa, suddenly a rainbow appeared over the ocean.
A Rainbow on Thanksgiving (iPhone handy)
It’s a strange thing how that rainbow lifted our spirits. We weren’t thinking about Noah, but it seemed like God’s banner over us saying: “You are going to be alright. I’ve got you in the palm of My hand. I AM bigger than the flood of tears swirling in your heart. Let the covenant of My love comfort you where it hurts. Trust Me, and do not be afraid.”
The next time you encounter a rainbow, remember God’s unsinkable Love that gives us courage to hope no matter how ferociously storms howl and tears flood our souls.
“Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake to guide the future as He has the past. Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.” (Katharina von Schlegel)
grace, peace & unsinkable rainbows
Virginia : )
Roses in the Rubble 
I have read that the “bow” is an ancient weapon of war, and of course it bends in the direction that is targeted. In this, perhaps, the rainbow foreshadowed that by contrast to the flood, where God’s bow of justice was pointed at the earth, there would be a future promise involving God taking the punishment for the sin of His elect upon Himself (at the cross). Since reading that I can’t help of thinking about the cross and Christ’s sacrifice whenever I see a rainbow.
Craig, I will never look at a rainbow the same way again. What a powerful juxtaposition of God’s covenant and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross! Thank you for sharing this. Blessings & blogging hugs!! ✨🌈✨🤗🌈✨
Fantastic story about your first Thanksgiving after your parents died, Virginia — gave me chills, just thinking about how God always knows what we need … and when!
Amen, Debbie. So grateful for how God’s glimpses of grace turn up when we need them most! Hugs! ✨🌈✨🤗✨🌈
Appreciated a new perspective on rainbows.
Rainbows always catch me by surprise, Tim. A good kind of surprise! Hope you are keeping well!!! ✨🌈✨🤗✨🌈
What an incredible thought, Craig!!
It is an incredibly inspiring thought, Cin!! 🌈🤗🌈
Also meant to say what a great blog this was, too!
Thanks for your encouragement, Cin!!! Big hugs!!! ✨🌈✨🤗✨🌈✨
Thank you, beautiful thoughts…
I figure you are also a rainbow groupie, Carol-Jo!! Blessings & hugs! ✨🌈🤗🌈✨
beautiful
Thank you Michele!! ✨🌈✨🤗✨
Love it! Followed. 🙂
Thank you, here’s to letting God’s love flow through us…