Rainbows and Promises

Claudia Graf

MA, LPCA

7/18/2022

Do you ever find yourself doubting when it comes to your faith? Do you have prayers going unanswered or not receiving the answer you are hoping for? Do you feel the sadness that has come from the consequences of bad decisions?
I was wrestling with some hard questions, talking to God when I noticed an eerie yet beautiful atmosphere outside with the evening sun peeking through the clouds and light rain falling. When I walked to the window and looked up, I saw a beautiful rainbow with intense colors. It was as if God was telling me ‘I have not forgotten about you; I do keep my promises. I felt peace and joy at that moment and was just standing still in awe, pondering God’s greatness, creativity, goodness, forgiveness, and care for me.

The first people to witness the phenomenon of a rainbow were Noah and his family (Genesis 9:8-16). They had just been saved from the flood, along with a whole zoo of animals. The rainbow was a sign of God’s covenant with Noah and His promise to never again judge the world so harshly by destroying all living creatures through a flood. The Hebrew word for rainbow is ‘keshet’ and means ‘archer’s bow’, the weapon of choice during Noah’s time. By painting the sign of a war bow, not pointing towards earth but heaven and without an arrow, speaks to God’s mercy towards humanity. God turned a symbol of violence into a sign of grace and loving-kindness. This is the true meaning of a rainbow; it is a reminder of God keeping his promises to us and the start of new beginnings and second chances through Jesus who carried the weight of our sins and bad choices on his shoulders and made a fresh start possible, if we believe in him and surrender our lives to him. Then every rainbow can become a beautiful reminder of his continuing love and care for us – a sign of his faithfulness and mercy.