When the
bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and
every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.
A few years ago, my husband and I were going to Hawaii for spring
break. As we waited to board the flight in St. Louis, we heard an announcement asking for
volunteers to be "bumped" from the flight. They would travel the next day and
would receive vouchers good for one free roundtrip flight to Hawaii anytime in the next
twelve months. We considered it, but I wanted to be there IMMEDIATELY and not waste a day
of the sun.
Our first morning on Maui, we woke up to a beautiful rainbow between
Lanai and Molokai. As the day wore on it began to rain, and it rained most of that day --
and every other day -- of our vacation. How often I wished I had been willing to wait just
one more day, thus receiving the deal offered by the airline. But the positive side of all
that rain was the beautiful rainbows¾ I counted thirteen in
one day.
In the story of Noah, he waited and waited, in cramped quarters with
his immediate family and the animals. He waited not only the 40 days of rain, but more
than a year until God instructed him to leave the ark! What a relief it must have been to
step on dry land. More thrilling still was God’s promise to all living beings
(symbolized by the rainbow) never again to punish humanity’s sin so completely.
While travel vouchers have an expiration date, God’s mercies
continue forever. Although sin continued, God did not give up on us. Instead, he sent his
Son and formed a new covenant in his blood: we are not only spared, we are loved as his
children and promised eternal life with him.
Merciful God, we thank you for the beauty of your creation,
including the rainbow. We thank you that your mercies are new each day and that your
promises are everlasting.
