Colors of Hope

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 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. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

If the sun is shining while rain is falling, that is often a good time to look for a rainbow. The sunlight shines through water droplets to form a beautiful spectrum of color across the sky.

The beauty of the rainbow can be surprising and spectacular. A rainbow that appears after a frightening storm can bring a hopeful promise of clearer weather ahead.

God used the rainbow to give a sign of hope to Noah, and that is a reminder for us still today. After the world was destroyed by a flood because of the people’s sin, God promised never to send such a flood again. God promised not to let sin come between him and his people. The rainbow is a beautiful sign of hope because it is like a bow without arrows, as if hung on a wall after battle, never to be fired again. That reminds us of the promise that God will always love us.

When you see a rainbow, you can see it as a part of God’s beautiful creation. You can also see it as a sign of God’s beautiful promise of salvation, a promise God is sure to keep.

God of promises, we praise you because your promises are sure. Give us hope in the future you have promised to bring. Assure us with signs of your love for us. Amen.