I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Genesis 9:13, 15

A torrential flood swept through my hometown when I was a teenager. My grandparents lived in a house that backed up to a creek. As the deluge of rain fell, the creek quickly filled and overran its banks. My grandparents’ anxiety rose in proportion to the rising water in the house. They climbed on furniture higher and higher, fearing the worst. A tractor appeared at their door. They were rescued by climbing in the front-end loader. My grandparents were safe from the flood but remained haunted by their experience the rest of their lives. They anxiously monitored the weather and the level of the creek each time it rained.

What do you think Noah and his family felt or experienced as the waters fell? Were they afraid? Was the ark gently lifted by the rising water or tossed to and fro?

The Bible records all the springs of the earth burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened (Genesis 7:11). The New Oxford American Dictionary defines burst as to “break suddenly and violently apart.” A floodgate is defined as “a last restraint holding back an outpouring of something powerful or substantial.” The floodwaters were likely fierce and destructive, leaving an indelible impression on the ark’s occupants.

Like my grandparents, Noah and his family may have harbored fear because of all they had endured. God didn’t want them (or us) to fear that it would happen again, so He made a promise. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Fear cripples and paralyzes. Faith gives us freedom to live.

Look at the rainbow and remember God’s words, do not fear, for I am with you (Isaiah 41:10). 

Terri