God's Grace Pours Forth, Even When there are Clouds

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9: 13)

After God wiped out the inhabitants of the earth with the worldwide flood, including all flesh except for Noah, his family, and their wives along with two of every kind of animal, God made a covenant with the man who had found grace in His sight.

This verse is telling because God affirms that He has placed this token in the clouds:

"And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:" (Genesis 9: 14)

In effect, every time there are clouds in the sky, we can believe that the rainbow is there, even if we do not see it right away!

What is the significance of this rainbow for us?:

"And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

"And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." (Genesis 9: 15-17)

God establishes covenants, yet He also provides tokens for us so that not only does God remember, but that we may remember, too.

The rainbow appears with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, when He is revealed in His glory, before and after His Crucifixion:

"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. " (Ezekiel 1: 28)

and

"And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." (Revelation 4:3-4)

In Christ, we also reign in life (Romans 5: 17), seated in heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2: 6)

Because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4: 17), we can know and believe that God's grace, His rainbow, still shines for us, even when the clouds are at their darkest, even when all seems lost to our senses. We can trust that God's covenant with us through His Son is strong for us, that nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8: 38-39; Hebrews 13: 5)