Several times during our four-day drive from South Africa to Mutarara, Mozambique, I expected to see a rainbow off in the Mozambican sky. The dark rain clouds and streaming sun rays, along with the green landscape and refreshing breeze, seemed perfect conditions for a rainbow to appear. I spent much of the ride staring out at the skies, praying that God would send me a rainbow.
One such afternoon, I asked myself why I was so intent on seeing the sky painted with color. I’ve never been a person who loves rainbows or pots of gold or leprechauns. What was it I was seeking? I spent some time questioning the symbolism of the rainbow – the primary symbol being that of God’s promise, His covenant with Noah: that He would never again flood the earth and destroy all life. But as I read God’s words to Noah in Genesis chapter 9, I saw that only twice does God refer to the rainbow as His promise to refrain from bringing a flood. More than this, God uses the rainbow as a reminder, to man and to Himself, of the eternal covenant between Himself and all living creatures of the earth, namely man.
Covenant (noun): to enter into a binding agreement. When God placed the first rainbow into the sky, He was not only showing off His artistic skills and making a promise. He was entering into a covenant with all of mankind, a marriage. The rainbow can compare to the kiss at the end of the wedding ceremony – a symbol of the agreement made. God was thus saying to His creation, “I’m in this. For better or for worse. No matter what, I will do whatever it takes to maintain relationship with you. I will fight for you. I will be with you. I will love you.” And as the story of God’s people, Israel, progresses, the passionate, committed love of God is evident in His relentless forgiveness and pursuing nature. He brings them out of Egyptian slavery and His presence guides them by smoke and by fire for forty years in the desert; time after time Israel betrays her first love and chases after idols and foreign gods, yet Yahweh forgives them and heals their wounds every time; He fights for Israel, and gives them victory over their enemies when reason says the fight is impossible. And in His greatest act of love and commitment, God sends His only Son to live and to die, to show His love in action and to bring atonement so that the relationship between Himself and all the living creatures of the earth would remain intact.
During our drive along the Mozambican coast and countryside, I never did see a rainbow out my window. But through my search for one, I found more of Him, and a promise to stand upon. And once I arrived in Mutarara, God displayed countless light shows at night and rainbows of brilliant color in day, reminding me, as well as reminding Himself, of the covenant He has made with each and every person on this earth “…to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 1:10)
And yet I wait
The swallow brings
A song too hard to follow
That no one else can sing
The fences sway
The porches swing
The clouds begin to thunder
Crickets wander, murmuring
