I Spy a Rainbow

Well, it’s June, and I spy a bunch of rainbows! The world is once again awash in vibrant colors.

Not only will you spot Roy G. Biv in public school classrooms, updated business logos, and social media profile pics, but you can find those same vivid colors on grand display in red geraniums, orange marigolds, yellow day lilies, green grass, blue skies, and purple petunias.

The fact is, God is the one who created the rainbow and every hue within it. The rainbow serves as a sign of the covenant God made with Noah and with every living creature of all kinds for all generations to come. He said:

“I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant …. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

Genesis 9:13-15

So whenever you spy a rainbow — in the month of June or at any other time of the year — I hope the sight will call to mind what it originally symbolized: the faithfulness of God to keep His promises!

I wrote a poem in high school about that original appearance of the rainbow (as described in Genesis 6-8), which I’ll share here for anybody unfamiliar with the story:

One day God said, “Noah,
I have a job for you,
‘Cause you’re the only man alive
Who’s righteous, good, and true.
So listen to me closely,
I’ll tell you what to do:
Build an ark just as I say,
And don’t stop till you’re through.

“Then I’ll bring the animals–
I’ll bring them two-by-two.
Put them in the ark where
They’ll be safe with you.
I will cause great thunderclouds
To fill the sky so blue,
Then wash away this sinful world,
So we can start anew.”

Well the people laughed at Noah
And called him crazy, too.
But he still did exactly
What God told him to do.
And when it started raining,
Then all the people knew
That everything Noah had said
Was absolutely true.

Well, it rained and rained for 40 days
And 40 nighttimes, too.
But the little ark sailed safely
Upon the waters blue.
When the storm was finally over,
And gentle breezes blew,
There was nothing left but water
And Noah’s floating zoo.

The ark continued floating
With its small surviving crew
Until it came to rest on land
With mountain tops in view.
One day a window opened
And out a white dove flew,
But since she found no place to rest
The bird came back real soon.

Another seven days went by.
The dove began to coo.
Noah sent her out again
And she brought back a clue:
When Noah saw her olive leaf
Then everybody knew
The time was quickly coming when
They’d bid the ark Adieu.

They disembarked and thanked the Lord
For carrying them through.
And in response, the LORD declared
To them and me and you
He’ll never flood the globe again
With waters deep and blue.
Instead, as long as Earth endures
Will seasons continue.

God sealed His promise with a sign —
A reminder He’ll be true —
This sign appears after a storm
When Earth is drenched with dew.
It stretches wide, between the clouds,
In bright and vivid hues.
We call that sign a rainbow.
Perhaps you’ve seen it too?

I was responsible for teaching this story during a vacation Bible school my youth group conducted during a mission trip to Wyoming, so I wrote this poem, set it to music, and drew a bunch of pictures to illustrate the story. None of those efforts could be considered high art, but they did a good job of keeping the kids’ attention. Ha!