Promise Within…

Promise Within…

As my husband, grandson, and I traveled this past week, we moved in and out of rain, thunder, lightening, bright skies, and dark clouds. We would get ahead of the rain, then stop to eat or break only to be in the midst of the storms again. Now, if you know me, I am an avid amateur photographer. I used to carry my camera. However, with cell phones, I now always have a way to capture the moments. I spent the day taking pictures of the landscape, the clouds, and our grandson.

As we neared our destination for the day, the weather became quite turbulent. The winds picked up, dust rose the level of buildings as the rain and winds pounded the dry earth. The vehicles began to slow, and the lightening struck an object not far ahead. Trucks swayed precariously, and I held on. As I was looking to my left, something ahead caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. Flashes of color crept into view. I blinked as I couldn’t believe my eyes. A rainbow had formed in the middle of the storm. Then I saw, a second rainbow.

My mind goes to the story of Noah, told and read so many times to our sons when they were young. Genesis 9:13-16 explains the promise (covenant) of the rainbow. “¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

You see, within the clouds, the storms, God’s promise is there. His promise is ever present. The winds may blow, the storm will come, but the power of God will stand steadfast. He has promised to never leave us. Yes, I know this story was about never bringing destruction in the form of a flood again. But it is so much more to me, it is God’s promise, His covenant. His binding unspoken symbol of a God full of grace and mercy. I see in this image God standing in the middle of any storm we may face reminding us He is faithful. The winds will whip and blow, the lightning crackle and thunder roar, but God will deliver us. No matter how long the storm lasts, His promises are new every morning. Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”