Why I love the Rainbow

We’ve seen a lot of rainbows lately. I love the Rainbow. Here are the reasons why:

The promise of the rainbow was originally for a small group of people, a minority. They were harassed, mocked, and shamed by the world. But soon this promise came to represent all those associated with this minority group. They now wave this rainbow proudly. Here is the original promise.

Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.” Genesis 9:12-17 NLT

I love the rainbow because it represents God’s promise to preserve life despite all the messiness and chaos around us. I love the rainbow because it represents God’s faithfulness. And God is faithful to us in his Son Jesus Christ who not only preserves life, but gives us eternal life. You see in Christ, not only is the original promise kept, but it is escalated. In his coming has come the kingdom of shalom.

I love the rainbow because it reminds us who is Creator, King, and Ruler over the world. Finally, I love the rainbow because it is not just for us. It is reminder for God; he sees and remembers his promise to his people.

It rained a lot here yesterday in New York. It was dark and cold. My soul was gloomy. It didn’t seem like it was going to end. There was flooding and terrible traffic everywhere. Just choas… It’s probably going to continue to rain today. But we can hope for a new day. We can hope because of the rainbow. And I hope when God sees all these rainbows, he too will remember.