The Rainbow

This afternoon I had one of those days. The twins were beyond fussy and my tension level rose and rose as nothing I did solved the problem. After 4 1/2 hours of continuous fussing and crying, I was too angry to be able to read a bedtime story in love, so I passed the children to my husband and took off in the car. As I cried out to God, I confessed my inability to control my anger and by inability to have patience sufficient for my job of being a mother. I knew that God would meet me in some way and refresh me, but I was astounded by his faithfulness in the way he chose to reveal himself to me. As I rounded a turn, there was a rainbow right in front of me! I decided to drive straight to my special "mountain" (a big hill in Kingstowne) where I had been blessed by the Lord before (you'll hear that story whenever I get around to writing "The Jordan River - Part 2").

As I stood on my "mountain" with the glorious rainbow in full view , I knew God had something to teach me, and could feel my anger melting away as I understood the message. I recalled the promise of the Lord, from Genesis 9:12-16, after the great flood:

And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."

I considered that as angry as I felt at the sin of my child and as strong as my desire was to punish it, God had felt more anger at the sins of man, and had punished them by wiping them off the earth with the waters of the flood. BUT THEN, He promised NEVER again to do the same to the earth. Instead, the rainbow reminds me that Christ bore the full wrath of God's punishment for sin. All of His anger was directed toward Christ on the cross, Christ being punished out of love for me, that I would not have to bear God's wrath. So instead of wrath toward me, God extends forgiveness and long-suffering:

2 Peter 3:9b He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

How many times have I been so much more disobedient and stiff-necked than my child was today? Yet God does not treat me as my sins deserve; rather He is patient with me. His tender care draws me toward Him, leading me into repentance and strengthening my trust in His goodness and my desire to follow where He leads. By His grace, I pray I will be long-suffering in my care of my children, that I might encourage them to seek His loving and merciful face.

By the way, the rainbow in the picture is not the same one I saw today. I forgot to take a picture :(.