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 " I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth"

I'm curious if any of you happened to look up into the sky Saturday afternoon, about noon. I was outside doing yardwork, and happened to look up. To my amazement, I saw the most incredible rainbow I've ever seen. It was a circular rainbow and it was around the sun! I've never seen anything like this before. I came in and googled "Rainbow around the sun", to see if by chance anyone had taken a picture of it. We tried, and our camera got the outline of it, but you couldn't see the colors in the rainbow. I found out that this is a phenomenon that happens every once in a while, and I had just never seen or heard of it. There were several pictures online that people had taken of these round rainbows that encircle the sun.

Any time I see a rainbow, I always think it's just for me. I have seen a couple of double rainbows..one time when we moved out to the area where we live now, and we were crying out to God for wisdom about the move..we happened to look up, and there was a double rainbow..it was spectacular! As I stood in my yard Saturday, and watched this rainbow for over an hour , I began to think about the splendor of my God. I thought about the events that took place 2,000 years ago..and the fact that Friday was Good Friday..the day on which our Lord and Savior was crucified. I thought about how on that Saturday so many years ago, things must have looked really bleak. The One in Whom so many had put their trust was dead..crucified. The One Who had worked miracles, healed the sick, raised the dead back to life, loved little children, spoke words of wisdom and encouragement, forgave people of their sins, and loved people into wholeness was seemingly gone....but then there was Sunday!!!

I thought about all the people that I know who are dealing with illness and disease, those who have suffered the loss of someone they love, those who have been lied to, those who have suffered the death of a dream. I thought of those who feel they can no longer trust..those who don't know how to get their life back, those whose bodies have begun to fail, those who are struggling just to get through the day. I thought of those who have no direction, those who are barely keeping a roof over their heads, those who simply long to be loved...and I looked again at the rainbow...and remembered the covenant of God..the eternal covenant..the promise of God to never again flood the earth..but there are so many other promises. He promises never to leave us. He promises to love us with an everlasting love. He promises to continue His faithfulness to us. He promises that nothing is too difficult for Him. He promises to bless the pure in heart. He promises the gift of eternal life to those who will receive it. He promises to strengthen us, to comfort us, to lift up a standard against the spirit of fear. He promises to give His angels charge over us, and that His eyes and ears are upon the righteous. He hears their prayers. He promises to give us authority on this earth..over the power of the enemy. He promises to uphold us with his victorious right hand. He promises to hide us in His shelter in the day of trouble. He promises that we shall be far from oppression and terror. He promises a sound mind. He has redeemed us..called us by our name..and told us that we are His.

The rainbow in the sky made me remember the goodness of God..that His promises are all "yes and amen"..that He never changes..that He cannot lie or break a promise..and that for me..and for you..just as it happened nearly 2000 years ago, early on a Sunday morning, when the two women went to the tomb, and found the body of the Lord Jesus was missing because He was RISEN..He had been resurrected..so is He with us now..so does He long to walk with us through our Saturday..and bring us through to Sunday..to a resurrection of sorts in our own lives..to bring new hope when there has been no hope..to bring back to life the dreams that have been dormant in our hearts for such a long time..to teach us once again to trust, and to stand strong..to remember that He IS our Shield..and to hold up our Shield against any and all attacks from the enemy..to heal the broken hearted and to bind up their wounds..to be a constant presence in our lives, no matter what we are facing..to remind us that He is with us in trouble..and that He is our rock...to give us a new direction, and wisdom, to see that weeping may endure for a night, but joy does return in our lives and hearts..to remember that the Lord actually takes pleasure in His people.

Lord, you are the potter and we are the clay. Today, remind each of us that we are the work of Your hand..and in Your hand we safely rest, as we wait on You, knowing that You supply every need.