Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
Education and Religion
The Rainbow: God’s Visible Reminder

The Rainbow: God’s Visible Reminder

Last updated on: June 20, 2023 at 10:22 am by Queen E. Franks Phillips

0 Comments

The Rainbow: God’s Visible Reminder 2023-06-20T10:22:25-05:00 Queen E. Franks Phillips

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Pixabay/Pexels.com

Being reminded that God keeps His promises is good news to me! Seeing a colorful bow across the sky after rain renews my hope in God’s sovereign rule.

The Documentation

And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9:12-17 NKJV).

Biblical Covenant Defined

A divine covenant (biblical covenant) is a relational binding agreement that God established to reveal himself and administer his kingdom’s purpose and program. It brings his blessings to human beings, who functions in agreement with and under his principles.

The Sign of God’s Unconditional Promise

God’s covenant made with Noah and every living creature on the earth was unconditional—it required nothing from Noah or any human being. After the flood, God promised He would never again let the floodwaters destroy all life.

God always established his covenants with signs and outward physical signs (circumcision, Genesis 17:11). The rainbow is God’s visible sign.

Ownership Established

As the Creator of the Universe, God owns the rainbow. In the above text, He established ownership: “I set MY rainbow in the cloud.”

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:16-18)

Humanity’s Visible Reminder

The rainbow’s splendor captures the essence of God’s unconditional love for humanity, and the eternal hope available to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ. It is a display of God’s creativity. The rainbow communicates God’s faithfulness despite humanity’s sinfulness.

Of course, scientifically, the rainbow is created by millions of raindrops, each at a different angle and each reflecting a different color into the eye of the beholder. Amazingly, each of us can see the same rainbow but see different colors.

Life can be the same way. We all look at life differently. However, if we all see the rainbow as evidence of God’s promise, then whatever our lot in life, we can believe and hope for a brighter future.

Therefore, the rainbow is a sign of promise that should always give hope. Seeing it should give everyone a reason to hope—to expect better, especially if you have a relationship with Christ.

I recall a hard time in my life. I faced heartbreaking challenges—family loss, divorce, unemployment, and financial hardship. However, the outlook on life as a Christian changed after having a dream of a huge rainbow appearing in my window. From that point on, whenever I saw a rainbow, I experienced a peaceful resolve that reminded me everything would be alright.

A Rainbow Perspective

Rainbow in green field

Photo: Brett Sayles/Pexels

Have you heard the adage “seeing is believing?” It is something about seeing a rainbow that causes you to believe the impossible. Seeing it changes your perspective and captures your attention.

God is trustworthy. You can take Him at His word to keep His promise.
The rainbow is an undeniable truth that is upheld by the power of God’s word.
God is committed to honoring His own promise when He sees the rainbow in the sky.
Based on the above scripture, the rainbow is all about God’s promise, not humanity’s pride.

Conclusion

There have been tropical storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and tsunamis throughout the land. Sadly, many have perished, yet many survived because God keeps His promise. I am certain that with all the disastrous occurrences, a rainbow has appeared somewhere in the world as a colorful reminder of the promise God made to Noah and all living creatures.

And to think, we are still included in that promise! Perhaps you may know someone or have probably heard the devastating news of loss because of storms and floods. Yet the promise is still in effect—all life has not been destroyed by floodwaters as before Noah obeyed God and built the ark.

Certainly, with the situation in society today—the turmoil, evil, wickedness, distress, disaster, broken hearts, and lives—it should be good news to have a relationship with the only Promise Keeper who will never break His promise.

Indeed, we have seen massive devastation from flooding, but the entire human race has not been wiped out by the floods or storms that raged. All living creatures have not been destroyed.

Progressive Christian

Evangelical

Relationships and Religion