“… I establish my covenant with you (Noah), that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
Genesis 9:11-16 ESV
The promised reminder… the bow in the sky… appears when skies are cloudy… stormy…
[Photo by Anandu Vinod on Unsplash]
I saw one yesterday… a wide… full… rainbow… across a dark… gray… tumultuous sky…
It was different than ones I remember seeing before…
The rainbows I’ve seen in the past… are usually at the end of a storm… or with a light rain…
[Photo by Jørgen Asmundvaag on Unsplash]
But this one… appeared in advance… the front edge of a tropical storm… already in the process of deluging the earth with inches… and inches… and inches… of water… in its wake…
And I remember this story… the one of the flood destroying all but a few… a storm of judgment on the earth…
I realized the importance of this sign for Noah and his family… a comfort any time… every time… the skies darkened with an impending storm…
I remember… I promised never to flood all mankind again… I remember…
We… in the centuries since… have wrung out the wonder of His Word… His promise… with science… and common sense… and lost the significance of the covenant… between Noah and God… and all living creatures on the earth…
I remember… I promised… I remember…
On the front end of a storm… the rainbow reminds me… He remembers His promise…
He remembers… me… you… every living creature…
We need not fear… the storm…
He will not destroy all…
And He’s provided an Ark… for all who believe…
One who sees us safely through any storm…
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Psalm 107:28-31 ESV
So the rainbow reminds…
He remembers me…
He remembers you…
He remembers the earth…
and every living creature on it…
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
Psalm 46:1-3 ESV
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