By Katy Mariotti

Rainbow Reminder

“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
Genesis 9:13, English Standard Version

Who doesn’t love a rainbow?  We haven’t had much rain this summer so it’s been a while since we’ve seen one, and when we came out of Back to School night and saw this beautiful double rainbow, my daughter had to immediately grab my phone to take a picture.

Since I was little I’ve heard that rainbows are a sign of God’s promise.  As I got older and read the Bible, I read that the rainbow was God’s promise that He wouldn’t destroy the earth with a flood ever again.  To be honest, I was glad of course to not have a threat of humanity being destroyed by a flood, but it felt like a faraway promise.

Reading it now as an adult, I love that it says the rainbow is a sign of the covenant between God and the earth.  That covenant, that promise to not destroy humanity with a flood, was the start of so many promises that God has given us.  Promises that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8), that He will give us rest (Matthew 11), that His peace will guard our hearts (Philippians 4), that He will be with us (Isaiah 43), that He forgives our sins (1 John 1), that He has plans of hope for us (Jeremiah 29), and that He loved us so much that He sent His Son to bring us eternal life (John 3:16).

When I see a rainbow now, I hope to think not just of that original rainbow promise, but of all the ones that God has blessed us with.  I hope also to remember that God’s promises come true, and to look for them in my life!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado