A Rainbow of Promise

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.” –Revelation 4:1-3 (NIV)

I love looking at rainbows. They are such a mystery to me—their brilliant colors, their intangibility, their mist-like appearance, and I am intrigued by how they fade with time, and finally, disappear. As an artist, I love light, and the colors of light, and aways stop in my tracks when seeing a rainbow.

Last night I could not stop in my tracks because I was driving on a busy highway. Steel blue-gray clouds parted to allow a burst of brilliant light through, and off to my right, was a HUGE rainbow. I have seen many rainbows, even double ones, but this was so close and the colors so brilliant, that I craned my neck around to catch another glimpse. Unfortunately, I could not see it in my rear-view mirror and I had to pay attention to traffic, but that one quick glance is imprinted in my brain. I can still see it as I write this.

I am comforted by the well-known Bible story of Noah’s ark, where after the flood God placed a huge rainbow in the sky as a message to humans that He would never flood the earth again. A promise for sure, and one I think about when I see rainbows now. They remind me not of just God’s original promise, but also a special reassurance that God has promised to be with me now. When I think of “rainbow”, I think of “promise”.

John had a vision in Revelation which took him into the very throne-room of God. I can’t imagine the magnitude of what he saw, but one thing he relayed was a person sitting on a throne with a rainbow encircling the throne. I imagine brilliant light, and colors even brighter than I saw last night, and it is as if God is saying to me, “I promise to be with you always, even through all eternity.”

Let’s become rainbow-seekers…. let’s look for rainbows in our lives as a sign of God’s sure promise and grace. And then let’s remember that God lights heaven with light and color, and that His promise remains with us through this life and all eternity… some day, it will be closer to us than in the sky, at a distance. It will be part of us. That is a promise we can cling to!

Prayer–“Gracious God, thank you for your promise of love through the rainbow. You are the God of light and color, and I long to stand in your brilliant presence. Help me always cling to your promise that you are with me always. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”