“When the bow is in the clouds I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
-Genesis 9:16
Genesis 9:16 is the promise from God that He would not destroy creation in the way that it was affected by the flood and the sign of that promise being this rainbow in the clouds.
God has given a visible picture that reminds the people of God of His covenant.
This Verse Reminds Us That God Is Faithful Of Us
I think of all the times I’ve seen a rainbow. Guessing you can recount just seeing a rainbow in many different circumstances like the kindness of God that he would give us a sign like this of declaring after a storm that He is faithful. That He loves us. That He’s patient with us. That He will not cause that storm to last forever. That He brings it to an end because He loves us. He cares for us. That He is our constant provider and that what He has promised will prove true. All these things illustrated in the sky for us to see.
I just want to encourage you, certainly the next time you see a rainbow, just pause, not just noting its beauty but praising the God who’s given us the sign.
May rainbows just literally just drive us to worship and awe and adoration. Just thinking about the faithfulness of God in our lives in so many different ways. May they do what they’re intended to do. These signs from God intended to remind us of the goodness of God in ways that warm our hearts and draw us in worship to Him.
Genesis 9:16 Praises God For Caring For Us
God, we praise you. We praise you not just for your promise, which is glorious in and of itself … All your promises to us … But for signs you give like this, of your promise to us. For the visible picture that every time we see it, it’s hundreds, thousands of times, and every time you’re shouting I care for you. I am faithful to you. I love you. I’m patient with you. I’m gracious toward you.
God, thank you for saying those things over and over and over again. We praise you for not leaving us alone in a world of sin and evil and injustice. For not giving us over completely to ourselves and the effects of sin as we deserve to be given over. God, we praise you for your sustaining grace, your promises of mercy, your patience with us as sinners and your love for us. All glory be to your name. For the signs of your faithfulness you have given in our lives. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
