Rainbows, so very beautiful. At the very time storm clouds move in, we can see these beautiful phenomena. It can be the same in our own lives. We first learn about rainbows in the Bible with Noah.
Genesis 9:6-17:
When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon 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.”
Did you know, a rainbow would be a full circle, but the ground interrupts the arc. The only time you can see the full beauty and wonder of a rainbow, is from a high vantage point.
What we see is awe inspiring. What God sees from his vantage is more so.
This one looks complete, but only due to the reflection on the water.
This one from a water fall is almost complete.
This one is complete, and bonus, it is a double.
It's also a reminder that we don’t have the full picture.
Sometimes we can seem so small and our issues so large, we can only see what is in front of us, not the full picture (or full rainbow) as God can.
During times of trial, it can seem like life is dead, issues are insurmountable. But God sees everything in a different light, since he has the whole picture.
Remember the following verses:
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
Psalms 40:1-4
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;
Many will see and fear
And will trust in the Lord.
How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust,
And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.
1 Peter 5:6-10
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
Psalms 34:15-19
The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry, and the Lord hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Philippians 4:5b-7
The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
This makes me think of the song: Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord, with the ending:
And He shall lift you up higher and higher, and He shall lift you up.
It can refer to lifting us up emotionally, and perhaps the resurrection, where we might be lifted up enough to see the full circle of the rainbow… and God’s full plan.
© Vivian P. Kirkpatrick, 2016