Recently, I saw a photo of a rainbow that a friend posted on
Facebook. The caption said, “I feel hope every time I see a rainbow.” As I sit
here and listen to the rain this morning her comment seems appropriate. It has
been raining for days; it actually seems like months. It probably doesn’t help
that I have a list of things I want to do outdoors. One of those things is to
fix the wipers on my wife’s car. Thankfully, it is parked safe and sound under
the carport where I can work on it this afternoon without getting wet.
Meanwhile, I have to go out in the rain and drive to work when what I really
would like to do is curl up in my chair with a good book. Oh, the joys of being
an adult!
Actually, I don’t mind the rain so much. It is much cooler
when it rains. I understand that it is watering the grass and keeping
everything green. But on days like today, it is tempting to wonder if the rain
will ever stop. If I didn’t have the promise of a rainbow, that is. For those
of you who know the Genesis story, you will understand the reference. In the
ancient world, God sent a massive storm and flooded the earth because of man’s
sin. After that horrific flood, where it rained for forty days and nights, almost
nothing was left alive. Only one man, Noah, and his family of eight was saved
alive in a boat called an ark. After the flood, God promised Noah that he would
never destroy the earth with such a flood again; he put a rainbow in the clouds
as a token of his promise. If you will look close enough, there is always a
rainbow after the rain.
When I think of the rainbow I am reminded of God’s promises
to always take care of us. That is why the rain doesn’t bother me this morning.
It may temporarily spoil my outdoor plans. It may inconvenience me and make my
morning commute messy. Yet it also reminds me of the promises of God. No matter
how hard it rains, I am reminded that God will not allow it to flood the entire
earth. This in turn reminds me that God is always looking out for me.
Perhaps there are things I am tempted to worry or fret about
this morning. Maybe my plans aren’t falling into place the way I want them to.
Like the rain, there is nothing I can do but wait it out. Eventually, the rain
will stop and I will walk on dry ground again. It always happens because God’s
promises never fail.
Trusting Him Daily,
Sullivan Jones