With young grandchildren around, I am exposed to children’s fads and fashion. It is the era of the rainbow and the unicorn. Everything from shirts to backpacks, from stickers to blankets is adorned with either of these emblems of coolness. I have nothing to say about unicorns. But I do have something to say about rainbows. 

A rainbow catches my attention every time I see one. Often juxtaposed against a darkened stormy sky, these slices of vibrant color are stunning. Never was this more evident than on a trip that my husband and I took to Oahu. No sooner had we walked out of the airport, than the first arc of color appeared directly in front of us. No wonder the Hawaiian license plate is adorned with a rainbow.

It was during a walk by the ocean that we watched rainbows on display. It was a stormy day with the clouds moving in and out quickly; a cloudburst here, shafts of sunshine there, a dynamic mosaic of sun and rain, clear and clouds. Then suddenly, amid the undulating rhythm of weather out over the turbulent ocean, came flashes of color. Rainbows! A hint of color would peek in front of the clouds, then a slice of the arc and in the next instant a magnificent semi-circle of perfectly ordered color burst into view. Just as abruptly the clouds shifted and the rainbow was completely gone.

All through that day as we hiked along the coast, the rainbows played this game of hide and seek. 

“What causes a rainbow?”, I asked my physicist husband.” Rainbows are merely light which when refracted by rain becomes visible in its colors of ROYBGV (red, orange, yellow, blue, green and violet).” “ Do you mean that those colors are always present in light , but that we can only see them when the conditions permit it?” “ Yes.” “So that means that rainbows are always present but not visible to our eye?” “Yes.” Hmmm. Always present and yet seldom visible.

We read about rainbows in Genesis 9. The rainbow was the sign of the covenant made between God and Noah and every living creature, for all future generations. The rainbow was a sign of God’s promise, “that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Gen.9:11) Rainbows are a reminder of God’s promise, his covenant. They are n​​ot always visible but they may show up amid stormy skies as a reminder of what God has promised.

Where rainbows are a reminder of a promise, God’s promise, scripture is the record of God’s promises.

1 Peter speaks about God’s word as “these precious and very great promises”. These words of promise allow us to see what is often invisible; things about the nature of God, things about his purpose and dealings with humanity, things about our own hearts… Even though we may not see the promise made manifest, it is nevertheless present and active. Of Abrahm it was said, “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”(Rom. 4:20) It was his trust in God’s promise, even when he could not understand how it could be fulfilled, that sustained him. It was Jesus’ promise to his disciples, “Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” that comforted them and  propelled them forward to lives of obedience once he was no longer physically present.

As with the Hawaiian rainbows which appeared and disappeared, so too we often believe in God’s promises well before or even if we see their fulfillment in this life. We are called to believe that his words of covenant and promise are true, just as we believe that light is actually an unseen span of color. Perhaps if the conditions are right we may catch a glimpse, sometimes the full arc, and oh how gloriously stunning it is when what we had believed by faith becomes visible.

For me, the promises of God have motivated me and sustained me. They have motivated me to become a parent, a speaker, a writer and a friend well before I believed that I had capability in any of these areas. The promises of God have sustained me in times of painful struggle and loss by providing a glimpse of hopeful purpose in an otherwise gloomy season.   

What about you?

Has the Holy Spirit ever highlighted a piece of scripture such that it seemed as if those words were written just to you? As it were, your own rainbow?

Have you hung on to that promise even when there is no evident fulfillment on the horizon?

Have you allowed the promises of God to give you hope and perspective, by believing that they are indeed present and active, though not yet visible?

Think about a time when you saw a rainbow. What were the conditions like when it appeared? How much of it did you see? What did you feel when you saw it? How long did it stay visible? 

How can these insights be applied to God’s word and his promise to you?

Every word of God proves true;

he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 

Prov.30:5

Is it a coincidence that God’s people are frequently referred to as sheep ? In studying John 10, where Jesus proclaims, “I am the good shepherd.” and where he refers to his followers as his sheep who know his voice and follow him, I realized that I know very little about sheep. I have tended chickens, bred rabbits, housed cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters and even a rat. And yet God does not compare his people to any of these creatures. So why of all the domesticated animals would Jesus use sheep as his analogic animal of choice? I had to find out. These are some interesting facts that I learn from various sources about sheep behavior.

• Sheep are valuable. In ancient middle eastern culture, sheep were one of the measures of one’s wealth. 
• Sheep are exceedingly vulnerable. They have no natural defenses, except for horns in some breeds. They are easy prey for predators.
• Sheep are flock animals and therefore thrive in community. An isolated sheep is a distressed sheep and an even more vulnerable sheep.
• Sheep are instinctual followers. Ideally they will follow a good shepherd. Sheep have been known to follow a dominant flock member, even if that lead sheep plunges off a cliff!
• Sheep have good memories. They will remember routines and follow them “religiously”. As well they will remember traumas and the source or location of that trauma and then “religiously” avoid the person or place of that trauma thereafter.
• Sheep love routine. They are perfectly comfortable doing the same things, feeding in the same pasture, returning to the same pen at the same time of day. This makes them quite easy to tend.
• Sheep are stubborn. Their routine loving natures are a detriment when the pasture no longer has grass and the pen is no longer safe. The sheep have to be moved regularly by the shepherd for their own health and benefit, but they don’t like it.
• Sheep prefer to be led by the calm, patient presence of their shepherd. They are prone to panic and scattering if driven from behind. Their excellent hearing causes them to be easily frightened by loud noises.
• Sheep have good peripheral vision but poor central vision and depth perception. Their peripheral vision helps them to detect predators but their inadequate central vision can result in them falling into ditches or gullies. A shepherd leading them safely is their best protection.
• Sheep are trainable. As lambs, they will quickly learn to distinguish their mother’s bleats as distinct from all others. Once weaned they can be trained to know the unique voice or call of their shepherd as their new source of protection and provision.
• Sheep can tend to wander. Despite their following nature, sheep can get separated from the flock for many reasons. They may be injured or weak, or they may have been scattered by a predator, or they may just be a willfully independent and stubborn sheep. Whatever the reason, once they are isolated, they are exceedingly vulnerable. A good shepherd knows when one is missing and will search for that sheep and bring it back to the flock. 

I don’t know about you, but as I researched these qualities (and there are many others) I began to recognize tendencies in myself. Here are some of the ways that I related these attributes:

• I am valuable. I am valuable to God who made me in his image and laid down his life to rescue me from the predators of sin and death and satan.
• I am vulnerable. I am vulnerable to attack and affliction from this disease-ridden, natural disaster-afflicted, war and violence torn, sin- infested world.
• I am social. I am meant to live in community. We have all recently had this highlighted as we still reel from the effects of Covid isolation. As a Christ followers, I am meant to live in community where I am best provided for and protected. An isolated Christian is a vulnerable Christian.
• I am a follower of something or someone. I will either be shepherded by the world’s various shepherds who promise transient protection and provision, or I will choose to follow Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep.
• I have a good memory. Actually I don’t, but I am impressionable and those lasting impressions of pain or distress may constrain my life choices. I may perpetually avoid opportunities for growth and usefulness based upon a distant memory of a past trauma. 
• I love routine. I am a creature of habit and even when that habit, that comfort zone, no longer feeds me or blesses others, I tend to return mindlessly to the same over-grazed pastures.
• I am stubborn. I want what I want, when I want it. When the good shepherd suggests that I move on, try something outside of my comfort zone, risk doing or saying something that is unfamiliar, I resist. Growing my faith and trust in the good shepherd’s wisdom, character and intentions are ways that can help to push me past my stubborn inclination.
• I prefer to be spoken to calmly and politely. Loud, demanding, confrontational, panic-inducing voices are all around me and even within me. These can drive me toward actions that separate me from the calm and steady voice of the good shepherd.
• I have good peripheral vision but lack depth perception. I can see what those around me are doing and compare myself with them, but I cannot see into the future. I need to trust the visionary leadership of the good shepherd to direct me.
• I am trainable. I can be trained to recognize His voice above all others. Jesus told his first disciples, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Familiarizing myself with his character and his voice through reading scripture is one of the best training methods.
• I tend to wander. Weakness, willfulness -” Prone to wander Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love…” is what the old hymnist wrote. Recognizing that this tendency will always be present, allows me to sing the second part of that refrain regularly; “Here’s my heart, O take and seal it.”.

What about you? Can you relate to  these sheep qualities?

 Vulnerable and yet exceedingly valuable?

 Stubborn and yet trainable?

 Lacking clear vision as to what lies ahead? 

Needing to be lead by a calm patient shepherd, not driven from behind by the loud demands of the other voices?

A follower of something or someone yet who tends to wander?

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me.” Jn.10:11,27