When a brilliant rainbow fills the sky after a thunderstorm, its vibrant colors have the mystical effect of bringing smiles to the faces of those watching.  Rainbows signal that the danger is over, saying vividly, “All is well again!”

But did you know that rainbows have a scriptural connection to God’s mercy?  After the flood rains stopped, God promised Noah, the ark builder, that he would never use water to destroy His creation again.  And the rainbow stands to this day as a symbol for that promise.  When a rainbow shows itself in the sky, believers remember God’s glorious covenant of mercy and kindness stretching across the now clear and beautifully blue sky.

The rainbow whispers through its colorful bow, “We are not alone.  God is near.  No need to fear.”  Some of you may remember a Peanuts cartoon depicting a sad faced Charlie Brown but expresses the cheerful message a rainbow brings with these words: “You may feel alone, but God knows exactly where you are, and he has a good plan for your life.”

 That security is what God hopes rainbows will emote.  Sometimes our daily lives tremble with thunder and lightning making us fearful to take the next step.  We feel rudderless and without direction, yet our faith reminds us that our God always sees us, loves us, and is near us.  A rainbow’s powerful promise reminds us whose we are, no matter where we are.  We are God’s and we belong to Him.  God doesn’t send harm, but when harm arrives, God helps us through whatever challenge we face.  “Either He takes away the pain or gives us the grace to endure it,” St. Francis de Sales writes.

Rainbows give us courage and delight.  They encourage us not to look down, discouraged, and distressed by a storm’s darkness, but to look up for somewhere over the rainbow is our God, who sees, knows, and loves us. In God’s eyes and heart, we always matter.  And the rainbow is God’s pledge of that promise.

This quote from GK Chesterton is a wonderful reminder:

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.  Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”