As I was doing one of my prayer walks yesterday, I saw a beautiful rainbow. (The photo below does it no justice, but it does illustrate what I am thinking about today.) Rainbows have been significant to me in recent months as God has been speaking to me a lot about hoping in His promises.
Rainbows have come to symbolize a number of different things over the years, but the first one was a sign of God’s promise not to flood the earth again. Because of it’s origin as a sign of promise, God often uses them to remind me of other things He has spoken, of promises He has made. They are one of several ways He has been speaking to me lately about holding onto hope for what He has spoken, even when it looks hopeless.
This rainbow was a particularly clear reminder of the need to hope even when we lose sight of the promise. If you look closely in the photo, you can see that the ends of the rainbow are visible on either side of the river, but the arc seems to disappear in the middle.
There have been times over the years that I have lost sight of things God has promised, and it seems He has forgotten what He said. This lovely arc of color was a reminder that though I lose sight of the hope and beauty of His words, there will be completion. I can hold onto hope even when I don’t see where the promise has gone or how it could be fulfilled, and eventually that beauty will shine through and fulfillment will come.
I’ve been reading about Abraham again recently. God often takes me to his story, and He is talked about so often throughout Scripture because of his faith. There are times when I lose sight of the promise and feel I fail to live up to the example of this giant of faith. Romans 4:20-22 (NLT) says, “Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise… He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous.”
As I have read the story again recently, however, I have noticed some small details in the story for the first time. For instance, I’ve always known that Sarah laughed at God’s word that she would have a son at the age of 90. The Lord called her out on it. But this reading is the first time I noticed that Abraham also laughed. Genesis 17:17 (NLT) says, ” Then Abraham bowed down to the ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. ‘How could I become a father at the age of 100?’ he thought. ‘And how can Sarah have a baby when she is ninety years old?'”
Perhaps I shouldn’t, but I find this verse comforting. Even Abraham had moments where he lost sight of the promise and wondered how, maybe even if, the promise would come to pass. I certainly have those moments, but God is patient and gracious and continues to remind me that even though I have lost sight of His promises, He remembers them and is faithful to complete what He starts. He can be trusted. Always!
What promises are you holding onto today?
