The Rainbow

Saturday morning was going to be a good day for yard sales even though it began with a bit of drizzle and the sun and clouds battling for supremacy of the skies. As I picked up our morning paper from the roadside and turned back toward the house I beheld a beautiful rainbow in the west. The sun had won. I've seen few enough rainbows in my life to remember many of them distinctly. I recall on two different Sunday evenings viewing a full rainbow from the front steps of Beulah Hill, my church. Those spanned the entire sky.

But two things made this rainbow different. I could never recall sighting one in the early morning. What a glorious way to start the day! Second, I don't believe I had ever had my camera close at hand. Fifteen minutes later, the clouds had thickened and the rainbow had faded. Is it too much to think that God put it there just for me that morning? All I know is, if God knew no one else would see it, He still would have placed it there, not just for me to admire, but to inspire me and encourage me.

I was reminded for the umpteenth time, God doesn't care just about the big things--world events and important people-- He cares about every little detail in the lives of His children. And I'm His child.

I'm reminded of His first covenant, with Noah:

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 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."

I know that's a very specific covenant, but it's also a reminder of the multitude of other promises in God's word, the Bible. And of the fact that each of these promises can be trusted to the utmost. God is consistent, unchanging, and totally trustworthy. Let's all try to remember that when the road is rocky. . . or at least until you see your next rainbow.