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