Bend for a Promise

Good Evening
to All!

Bible Seeds

Today's Seed: "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13

I wonder how many of us really think about the true meaning of the rainbow when we are looking up at it after a spring rain. I never used to think anything except how I loved the colors. Now that I have found out the true reason for the rainbow, (and not just the scientific reasoning for it), it has a completely new meaning and look for me. I now look at it not only for the colors, but with love and complete awe.

Low -hanging clouds shuffle for position in the late afternoon sky. the wind stirs the leaves, turning their silvery undersides out. The sky blackens. Ping, Ping, pa Ping. A few drops of rain fall. Then more and more, until its a downpour. The rain blows across the street in sheets. Just when we think it will never stop, the sky lightens, the rain slows, and off in the distance we see the faint colors of a rainbow arching across the sky. As we watch, the colors deepen and expand. "Look," we exclaim, "a rainbow!" Perhaps we shiver with awe.

When God made the decision to flood the earth to rid it of extensive sin, he also made a way for some of his creation to be saved. Years before the flood, God directed Noah to build the ark, giving him specific plans for doing so. when the ark was built, God opened the floodgates and wiped out everyone and everything, except for Noah, his family, and the animals he carried on the ark. After the flood, God promised Noah that he would never again destroy the whole earth with a flood. He set a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of this promise. Each time we see a rainbow we are reminded of that promise, and we catch a glimpse of heaven.

In heaven, Revelation 4:3 says, "A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled [God's] throne." The rainbow around the throne of heaven means that God's promises are eternal. The green color could stand for God's mercy. God never goes back on His word.

Weed & Water:

Too often we become blase' about marvelous things. When we see a rainbow, do we shrug, saying it's just the refraction and reflection of the rays of the sun on the raindrops? Or do we remember that the rainbow was put in the sky thousands of years ago, as a symbol of God's promise and as a peek into the future

Sprout & Scatter"

Because we are human, we can forget our promises. Before making a promise, ask yourself it you are prepared to take on the responsibility of the promise. Sometimes awe need visible reminders of the promises we've made to others and to God. A wedding ring is a reminder of wedding vows. Photos around our home or office are reminders of our love for family and friends. Notes on the refrigerator or on our car dash remind us of promises we've made to do something. To faithfully keep promises we have to bend our will--just like a rainbow bends around the earth--and sometimes give up our convenience.

Think about it: How do you think Noah and his family reacted when they saw the first rainbow?

How does the idea of bending make you feel about a promise you've made?


Prayer Pot: Lord, your rainbow promise makes me feel...


In a rainbow, God bends his mercy and love around the earth.

Good Night All, and May God Bless!

PJ