Have You Counted Your Rainbows?
“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 KJV
Many of us get excited when we see a rainbow—its vibrant colors and rarity make it a special sight. However, that rainbow belongs to Noah, as it symbolizes God’s promise never again to flood the earth. What about the storms in life? Have you ever counted your rainbows afterward? I mean those moments that remind you of times God has been merciful, spared you, or delivered you in impossible situations, as only he can.
The word bow appears 99 times in Scripture. Ninety-six of those times refer to a weapon or paying homage to someone or something. Revelation 4:3 and 10:1 speak of a rainbow around the throne in heaven. Ezekiel 1:28 talks about the bow in the clouds after rain. The three verses in Genesis are God’s covenant promise to Noah. The Lord made it a token to remind Noah of his promise to never destroy the world by water again.
Symbolically, rainbows come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors in our lives. When I drive through Winston-Salem and pass Exit 188 to Baptist Hospital, it’s a rainbow for me. Since October 1983, I’ve never seen that exit without being reminded of how God came through and delivered me when my life was at stake. The hospital itself has become a rainbow. That’s where God proved himself faithful, and nothing was too hard for him. I was eighteen and a half then. Now, at sixty-one, no matter what I might face, I always remember my rainbows.
After twenty-five years of driving a truck, many places become rainbows in your life. One is the intersection at the end of Exit 47 for the WNC Farmers Market. One morning, I ran a couple of minutes late for work, and a traffic accident happened in the middle of that intersection. The highway patrol hadn’t arrived yet because it had happened only minutes earlier. I’m convinced that had I not been running late, I would’ve been going through that intersection and been in the accident. To this day, each time I see that place, I remember how God spared me that day by making me run late.
On Highway 221 in Marion, there’s an area that feels like a rainbow to me. Once, I had to leave the road and drive through a field to avoid a head-on collision when it was still a two-lane road. I slammed on the brakes in that empty box truck and felt it tip over. I’m convinced that God spoke to me that day and told me to turn the wheel and let off the brake. When I did, the truck sat back down; I downshifted and drove out the other end of the field without stopping. By then, the road was full of cars waiting to see a good truck wreck. They didn’t know it, but they had just witnessed God’s deliverance. Anytime I’m in that area, I think of the rainbow from the day God let me drive beyond my ability and delivered me when I obeyed his instructions.
The old Emergency Room entrance at Mission Hospital is another place where I have a rainbow. My son, Tyler, was there, and we had been told he was showing all the signs of meningitis. My wife and I were terrified that we were about to lose our second child after having lost one through a miscarriage. I got down to business with God. I stood that Saturday evening and prayed and begged God not to take my son. Then, I asked him to give us grace to get through it, if that was how it had to be. The following Tuesday morning, Tyler was discharged in perfect health. When I asked what the problem was, the doctor told me it was an allergic reaction to medicine he had taken for ten days and had finished two weeks earlier. That morning, I didn’t put it all together to question the doctor further, even though his explanation made little sense to us. I was just thrilled that we were all three going home.
After thinking about it, I came up with the proper explanation. I’m convinced Tyler had meningitis when he arrived. But somewhere between Saturday evening around five o’clock and Tuesday morning, when he was discharged, the Great Physician paid him a visit. If God tells me when I get to heaven that I’m wrong, I’ll have to believe it, coming from him. No one on this side of heaven will convince me it didn’t happen. Each time I go to the hospital or even drive by it, I’m reminded of my rainbow when God astounded the doctors, left them without a plausible explanation, and let me keep my son.
That’s just three of my rainbows. I could list many more without giving it much thought. God has been that good to me. Those were storms I couldn’t escape, just like the impossible storm Noah found himself in.
You probably don’t have to think hard to count your rainbows. The older I get, the more tokens of God’s deliverance I have. None of these situations were because of my driving ability, my prayers, or anything I deserved. They’re just tokens of times I found grace in God’s eyes, and he delivered me. Sometimes, it would do us all good to spend some time counting our rainbows.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for revealing Yourself to me through the rainbows in my life. Although challenges and storms in life are difficult and I’d prefer to avoid them, I’m grateful they gave me opportunities to see You in them. Please open my eyes to see how You show up for me and those I care about. Amen.
Your Turn: What storms are you facing now or have you already faced? Have you seen God’s grace in them? How can you change your perspective regarding tough times?
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