A thunderhead rolled across the mountain ridge. The sky slowly darkened like black ink spilling and oozing across blue paper. Torrents of rain pummeled the earth as lightning crashed with its electric fingers. This storm, though swift, was fierce, filling the mountainside with apprehension. As quickly as the storm came with its bite, it was gone. The wind subsided and torrents of rain became a refreshing shower. There, against the steel gray of the sky, peeking from behind lingering clouds, arched a rainbow.
I thought about the storm that had pummeled my life over the past few weeks. The darkness. The fear and angst.
And then I thought about Noah — the first one to ever witness a rainbow.
A Display of God’s Tender Love for His Children
Before we even get to Noah’s rainbow, consider this: Noah found favor with God and although Noah lived in a fallen world, God saw Noah’s righteousness and made a way to save him and his family. And my favorite part of Noah’s story? Genesis 7:16, “Those which entered [the ark], male and female of all flesh (creatures), entered as God had commanded Noah; and the Lord closed the door behind him.”
“… the Lord closed the door behind him.”
I love that image.
Even though Noah’s world as he knew it was falling apart and would be no more, God had made a way for him and his family, and then when the days of destruction came upon them and the first raindrops fell, the Lord Himself closed the gargantuan door of the ark behind Noah to secure and seal and save him.
Noah rode out the storm for forty days and nights. I’m sure tensions must have been high at times as impatience overcame trust and stench overcame fresh air.
But in my heart of hearts, on those frustrating days, I think Noah remembered the tender care of the Lord closing the door behind him to secure him safely within His plan during the difficult days. And I believe Noah found comfort there. And endurance. And possibly understanding of God’s purposes.
God Always Provides a Shelter in the Storm
How could Noah not remember that?
How easily do we forget the Lord’s tender care during our difficult seasons?
Without a doubt He goes before us, therefore He reaches the difficulty before we get there. He prepares a safe and secure place for us in the midst of the trial, and if we’ll only trust and obey Him when He tells us it’s time to enter in and wait, He will close the door safely behind us until the storm passes by.
After the storm comes the rainbow.
A rainbow — the reflection where light and raindrops meet.
Hope and grace converge.
Sovereignty and trust touch hearts.
After the Storm Comes the Rainbow
The rainbow is a proclamation of the covenant between the One True God and us — a glorious declaration of His Presence with us all along, especially when the storm was its fiercest. And when the storm winds howl and rain pummels our hearts and lives, He places us in a safe place, closes the door behind us, and keeps us safe until the storm passes by.
Our God is faithful.
Selah
************************************************
Thank you so much for stopping by. I would love for you to share what’s on your heart in the comments below. Scroll a little farther down and you’ll see where you can leave your comments. Together, we can find the nearness of God in our darkest moments.
Sweet blessings to you,
