"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13
The rainbow springs out of the conflict between light and darkness - it is a child of the storm. It is caused by the sun of heaven shining upon the fast-dripping tears of earth. After the flood it became the gracious pledge to man and every living creature that God would never again use water to destroy the earth.
Typically, the rainbow seen upon the billows of justice, spoke of grace. It looked ahead to the cross where God's wrath against sin would once-for-all be visited upon the believer's substitute, Jesus Christ. When the Light of the world and the storm clouds of judgment met at Calvary, a beautiful bow of promise and forgiveness came into view. Its soft beauty and gracious promise of eternal life ever delights the spiritual eye. It is the token that we shall someday live with God in fellowship with all the saints around His rainbow-circled throne (Revelations 4:1-3).
The rainbow too is a parable. It tells one and all that nothing beautiful ever comes to pass in this life except there first be clouds, and storms, and sorrow. Yet trial alone cannot give birth to this beautiful spectrum of grace, for it needs not only the fast-falling tears of distress below, but - even more important - the sunshine and glory from Heaven above! Unless the light of God floods our sorrow, there can be no beautiful rainbow of hope, no glow of promise, no beauty in the darkness. In human character there is hardly anything useful or attractive, but it has had suffering for a necessary condition - suffering lighted up by love!
Are you experiencing the clouds of trouble? If so, allow God's light to fall upon them. His comfort in sorrow is assured, for He has said: "When I bring a cloud.....the bow shall be in (it)....and I will remember!"
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