A RAINBOW IN THE STORM.

Back in the days of Noah, God looked down upon man and He saw that man had become completely corrupt. He saw that “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). So, God destroyed the earth with a flood. He made it rain for forty days and forty nights so that the earth was destroyed by water. Every person and every animal upon the earth that breathed air into his nostrils was destroyed, except for Noah, his family, and the animals which were on the ark with them. When the flood ended and the waters had receded, Noah, his family, and the animals left the ark. Noah built an altar to the Lord and made burnt offerings on it. Then God said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground anymore for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done” (Genesis 8:21).
For us today, there isn’t a fear of another flood coming that will destroy us. Rains have come and rains have gone, but they always go. And while there may be local floods from time to time, in all of the earth’s history, going all the way back to the days of Noah, the earth has never again been completely flooded. When we see the dark clouds gathering in the sky and hear the rolling thunder, we think, “it’s just another storm.” What if you were Noah, or his sons, or their wives, though? What if you were one of their grandchildren? I think that the next time I saw storm clouds gathering overhead, I would be a little nervous about it. Maybe I would go jump in a boat just in case. Maybe I would be heading back to the ark. I might say, “The last time it rained, everybody drowned, so I’m not taking any chances.” So, God put a rainbow in the sky. God made it so that whenever those storm clouds came, there was also the rainbow to comfort them and to give them courage, to remind them of the covenant that God had made with Noah, that he would not flood the earth again (Genesis 9:8-17).
Was the rainbow just for Noah and his family? No. God said in verse 12: “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations.” That includes us. If we ever begin to think that God might be getting fed up with us to the point where he is going to flood the earth again, all we need to do is look at the rainbow the next time a storm comes and we will know that is not going to happen.
Something else we might consider is that, when God puts a rainbow in the sky, it is when the clouds and rain are present. He said, “And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud” (Genesis 9:14). There wasn’t always going to be a rainbow in the sky, but it would be there when it was needed most; when fear was aroused by the rains. It comes when people are in the greatest need of comfort and of courage against the storm. There isn’t going to be much fear of a flood when there is no rain, and so the rainbow is not needed at that time.
What about the storms of life? What do we do when our faith is challenged, when we are discouraged, disappointed, or heartbroken? Sometimes it isn’t the literal storm clouds overhead, but it is the pressures of this life that makes us feel like we are in danger of drowning. What do we do then? Look for God’s rainbow. I don’t mean a literal one of course, but I mean, look for God’s comfort, His encouragements, His precious promises that assure us that it is going to be okay, He is with us, and He will get us through it. There is always going to be that rainbow to comfort us and give us courage when the storm is raging if we will look for it and accept the hope that it offers to us. When the dark clouds of temptation gather, remember that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). When the storms of disappointment, sorrow, and heartache begin to blow and beat upon us, remember: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28; Philippians 4:6-7). Death is a fact of life that presents some of the greatest challenges that we will ever have to face. There is a rainbow to be found even in that circumstance (please read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; John 14:1-3). Death is not the end; the best is yet to come. As someone has said, “Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come” (author unknown).
Are we among those who fear the storm? When we see those dark clouds gathering, do we become anxious and afraid, or do we look for the rainbow? Are we able to take comfort and find security in the promises of God? (tls)