Rainbows of hope
All round the town we see rainbows in the windows.
These rainbows that children have painted and displayed show appreciation and support of NHS staff and other frontline workers. They also serve as a sign of hope for all of us in these unprecedented times.
The rainbow has a long history as a symbol of hope, stretching back to the account in the opening section of the Bible of the worldwide flood that engulfed the earth. In the Flood’s aftermath, God made a solemn promise to all humanity, to every living creature, even to the planet itself, that a flood would never again destroy all life on earth. ‘As long as the earth lasts, planting and harvesting, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.’ To assure us that he will always keep his promise, God put a rainbow in the sky.
Can you imagine how anxious and frightened Noah and his family must have felt the first time there was a storm after the Flood? As the sky darkened, the clouds gathered and the rain poured down, they must have wondered, ‘Is it another flood?’ But then the rainbow appeared in the sky, and they had hope. God will keep his promise.
Here we are in 2020, but it is the same as in Noah’s time. The world is under threat, not from a flood but from a coronavirus pandemic. We do what we can to stay safe and to save lives. We wash our hands. We socially distance. We stay at home except for our daily exercise. We go out to shop only for essentials. Yet, we know people who are ill, and sadly, we know some who have died. Anxiety and the fear of death grip our hearts and minds.
Who will release us from the clutches of anxiety and the fear of death? Only the God who keeps his promise in Jesus. By his death, Jesus has defeated death. He promises that all who trust in him will share in his victory over death and will rise after death to be with him in heaven forever. ‘I am the Resurrection and the Life. All who believe in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’ As we listen to him, Jesus speaks his peace into our anxiety. ‘My peace I leave with you.’
The rainbow is a sign of hope, a guarantee that God keeps his promises. Yet, we have a greater sign of hope, a stronger guarantee than the rainbow – Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus has risen. He is alive. So, place your trust in him alone so that, as Jesus said, you might ‘not be troubled and afraid.’