Rainbows

We just returned from a wonderful, relaxing kayaking trip in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Now if you've never been there, believe me, it is one of the most peaceful places in the entire country. On the northbound, downward slope of the Mackinac Bridge, you begin to feel the change. After the toll booth, you know you've entered an entirely different land. It's as if the pages of time have been turned back many years. Quiet. Serene. Wonderful.

We stayed in a comfortable cabin on an inland lake. We settled into a routine each day. Mornings found me sleeping well past my usual workday wake up time. For my husband, Randy, those same mornings were best enjoyed fishing solo in a little rowboat on the quiet, glassy waters of Millecoquins Lake. Wednesday morning was overcast and spitting rain, but Randy was still out fishing, relishing the lake's solitude. Luckily for me, he happened to take his cell phone with him that morning, and called me to share the news of a double rainbow stretching across the lake.

Now I've seen my share of rainbows. Partial rainbows. Full rainbows. Bright rainbows. Muted rainbows. But to the best of my recollection, I've never seen a rainbow where I could see the actual place where the rainbow touches the ground. And in this case, I could see this place at both ends. It was REALLY cool. The ground was bathed in a muted light that seemed surreal. As with most rainbows, the treat was rare and fleeting. A rainbow's life expectancy is minutes at most. That is what makes rainbows special.

While a rainbow's life span is brief and fleeting, the promise, or covenant behind it is lasting and forever. The story of Noah is a sad one. In it, we read that God grieved that he had made man. Man was so awful that God was sorry for creating him and "his heart was filled with pain." (Genesis 6:6b) Thankfully, Noah was the one righteous man who walked with God. Because of him, we have the assurance of God's covenant. Praise God that his promise is everlasting!

Refresh your memory with the words we find in Genesis 9:12-16: ¹² 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: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ 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.¹⁶ 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.”

God's promises are everlasting. Believe it! You are witness to it each time you see his rainbow covenant!