Missing the Rainbows

Tis the season for late summer rain. The kind of intense rain that pops up out of nowhere in the midst of full sunlight. It is both beautiful and can instantly ruin any outdoor event. One of the best parts of summer showers are the almost guaranteed rainbows that accompany them. Lately, I’ve noticed several people talking about or posting pictures of rainbows. Some have even seen the lucrative double rainbow. (I know there is an entire sermon to be preached on the subject of social media and the horrendous comparison that comes with it, but that’s not what I want to write about, today.)

After seeing so many pictures of rainbows I started looking through my own pictures. Normally, I would also have my own evidence of such beauty in the skies. However, not surprisingly, I don’t have any pictures of rainbows. In fact, I don’t have many pictures outdoors lately. The only picture of the outside world I had from the last few weeks was a picture of fog. The cynic in me thought, “that seems about right.”

I’m living in the fog and I can’t see the rainbows.

Yesterday afternoon I told Robert that lately I have resonated with Job more than I did right after Jane’s death. I also echo the sentiments of Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. “Everything is meaningless.” Please don’t worry, I’m not suffering postpartum depression and I certainly feel safe, but it has become easy to look at life through the fog and wonder what I’m even doing anymore. What am I supposed to do? Solomon tells us at the end of Ecclesiastes, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” [1]

Fear God and keep his commandments. What are his commandments? Jesus tells us, to love God and love others. [2] So I know what to do, why is it so challenging right now? Because I’m living in the fog and I can’t see the rainbows. In the midnight hours I started pondering this truth. Thought about the rainbow and what it means. A covenant. A promise. I thought of Noah and his family. [3] I wondered if maybe Noah’s wife was busy and some how missed seeing the rainbow. I wondered if they constantly looked to the skies for a rainbow in the future, looking for some encouragement of the promise God made. I wondered if when the rainbow wasn’t present they thought maybe the promise wasn’t present either.

I confess, I haven’t seen any rainbows lately, both literally and figuratively. I know Jesus is near and I know he is faithful, but a lot of his promises feel distant and invisible. But the good news is that God is keeping his promises whether or not we see the sign of those promises. Imagine the foretelling of Jesus arrival. Hundreds of years, a promised Messiah and for so long, no sign of him. Did God forget his promise? Did God change his mind? Of course not. God fulfills his promises because he is holy, gracious and just. The fulfillment of God’s promises do not depend on me recognizing them. The Word of God does not depend on my interpretation or acknowledgment. Praise the Lord!

The fulfillment God’s promises do not depend on me recognizing them. The Word of God does not depend on my interpretation or acknowledgment.

Maybe you haven’t been seeing rainbows lately either. Be encouraged friends, God keeps his promises. He keeps his promise on clear days, in the storms and in the fog. Missing the rainbow doesn’t mean we have missed the promise. Jesus is the sign and we can always look to him regardless of our current conditions.

[1] Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

[2] Matthew 22:37-40

[3] Genesis 9:12-17