What do you think of when you see a rainbow? I think that they are one of the most beautiful things in the world. They're beautiful for a bunch of reasons too:
- the full spectrum of colour that they show off
- their wonderful elliptical curve
- the way they can offset a landscape vista.
- their ability to cut in and out of clouds
- that they often come in pairs
- the pot of gold at the end (has anyone found that yet?)
But the most stunning thing about rainbows for me is the dynamic nature of their existence. No two rainbows are alike...but even more amazingly, no two people can see the very same rainbow. This happens because of the way that light refracts through a raindrop making everyone, even two people standing side-by-side, see something slightly different.
It occurs to me that sometimes having a relationship with God can be a little bit like seeing a rainbow. Sometimes our spiritual lives can feel like nothing more than rain - overcast and gloomy! Then, out of no-where it seems, we catch a glimpse of a rainbow and it is wonderful. We see the hope and glory of God that fills our hearts with joy. At these times it can be hard to understand why everyone else can't see exactly what we see, why everyone else doesn't experience God in the same way that we have. The encouraging thing is that we can all see the rainbow, but some of us experience it in different ways.
God is not trying to hide from us, but he does come to us in different ways. He does engage with us in a dynamic and personal way that not everyone will understand. Let's take encouragement from the rainbow...no wonder God used this as a picture of hope and promise to Noah all those years ago. Find your way to see the rainbow and keep pointing it out to others even if they can't see exactly what you can see.
Pastor David Auty
- the full spectrum of colour that they show off
- their wonderful elliptical curve
- the way they can offset a landscape vista.
- their ability to cut in and out of clouds
- that they often come in pairs
- the pot of gold at the end (has anyone found that yet?)
But the most stunning thing about rainbows for me is the dynamic nature of their existence. No two rainbows are alike...but even more amazingly, no two people can see the very same rainbow. This happens because of the way that light refracts through a raindrop making everyone, even two people standing side-by-side, see something slightly different.
It occurs to me that sometimes having a relationship with God can be a little bit like seeing a rainbow. Sometimes our spiritual lives can feel like nothing more than rain - overcast and gloomy! Then, out of no-where it seems, we catch a glimpse of a rainbow and it is wonderful. We see the hope and glory of God that fills our hearts with joy. At these times it can be hard to understand why everyone else can't see exactly what we see, why everyone else doesn't experience God in the same way that we have. The encouraging thing is that we can all see the rainbow, but some of us experience it in different ways.
God is not trying to hide from us, but he does come to us in different ways. He does engage with us in a dynamic and personal way that not everyone will understand. Let's take encouragement from the rainbow...no wonder God used this as a picture of hope and promise to Noah all those years ago. Find your way to see the rainbow and keep pointing it out to others even if they can't see exactly what you can see.
Pastor David Auty
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