It was when I opened the umbrella that I began to laugh. Purple, pink, red, blue, black and white, I
realized I might be wearing a few too many colors at one time! Images of Pippi Longstocking came immediately
to mind. Now there is a colorful
character!
“Oh well,” I
thought to myself, “I guess I’m trying to add a little color to this dark and
dreary day. I’m wearing several colors
of the rainbow all at one time.” Of
course that thought led me to thinking about rainbows. I think everyone loves to see a rainbow in
the sky. Their beauty is undeniable.
The sight of
the first rainbow must have been breathtaking!
I can’t begin to imagine how Noah and his family must have felt as they
stepped off that ark. I’m sure they were
thankful for being saved from the disastrous flood, but seeing the world so
empty and knowing they were the only ones who survived may have given them a
great sense of loss as well. They were
probably overcome with many mixed emotions.
Regardless of Noah’s
personal feelings, he still put God first.
He made an altar and gave sacrifices to Him. These sacrifices made a sweet savor to
God. (Genesis 8:20-21) Noah was rewarded for his faithfulness and
his sacrifice. The Heavenly Father
blessed Noah and his sons. He promised
never to destroy the earth with water again.
As a sign of His promise, God set the rainbow in the clouds. (Genesis 9:11-17)
Do we think of
God’s promise every time we see a rainbow in the sky? I think most Christians probably do. I know
God remembers because He told Noah that he would.
“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.” (Genesis 9:16)
What lingered
in my mind Monday morning was Noah’s faithfulness in offering that sacrifice
even after all he and his family had been through. Stop and think about it. There was a reason God closed the door to the
ark instead of Noah. The Father loved him
enough not to make him responsible for that.
Isn’t it
wonderful that even in our darkest times, God can bring such beautiful moments
into our lives? He gave Noah something
of great beauty to show His love for him.
Have you ever seen that happen in
the lives of Christians today? I have - several times.
Recently one
of the ladies in our congregation was diagnosed with cancer. Her surgery was successful. The doctors were able to remove all the
cancer from her body. She said God had shown Himself to her in one way or
another almost every day since her diagnosis. She smiled and said, “I just know He is with
me.”
It is amazing
what God can do for us and with us if we hold His hand. All we have to do is hold on. Lean on Him.
Noah sought and found grace in the eyes of God and so was chosen to
build the ark. After the sacrifice he
gave upon leaving the ark, God rewarded Noah again.
He made a
covenant with him and gave him a beautiful rainbow as a token of that
covenant. God blessed Noah and his
sons. He gave them dominion over the
animals and the land. And he told Noah
he would always remember His covenant.
My point is Noah
didn’t mourn and pity his plight to the point that he left off his faithfulness
to God. And because of that God took
care of him. The Bible tells us Noah’s
sacrifice was a sweet savor to the Lord.
What do you think was so sweet about it?
Was it the actual odor of the burning sacrifice or was it the act of
love and obedience from a heart close to Him?
Don’t you think it was because Noah put God first? I certainly do!
The time may
come when we face our own share of heart wrenching sorrows. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “time and
chance happens to us all.” (Ecclesiastes
9:11) People may bitterly disappoint, rumors may fly around. Illness and loss
will occur. Financial woes may strike, and persecution will be faced. It’s like the saying I once heard, “God never
promised us smooth sailing, but He did promise us a safe landing.”
God has promised
to be with us through every storm. We are His children and He wants us to come to Him with our troubles. I tend to be a worry wart. Often in prayer, I will lay my problems at the Father's feet. But before I know it I find myself picking them up again. It is one of my biggest weaknesses, but I keep working on it.
We
cannot let our faith be shaken. If we
seek Him, God will always show Himself to us.
When we hold on to Him even through our darkest moments, He has the most
amazing ways of making His presence known.
We have to have “eyes that see” and “ears that hear.”
May our life
be a sweet savor to Him. If we put
Christ first in our life, we will be known by the Father and the Son. In doing so, God will send us a few of our own
rainbows, don’t you think? We know
Christ has promised to take care of His own.
“Cast all our anxieties on Him because He cares for you (us).” (I Peter
5:7)
“The eyes of the Lord
are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry;” (Psalm 34:15).
“Cast your cares on
the Lord and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous be shaken.”
(Psalm
55:22)
The devil would love to see you question
your faith. He would have you doubt these verses. Don’t!
Christ above all things,
Robin
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