The Rainbow Promise

“I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.” — Genesis 9:13

When Noah came out of the ark, the first thing he did was to build an altar and worship God. He was so thankful that God had kept his family safe through the flood.

God was pleased with Noah’s worship. And God made a promise.

“As long as the earth lasts,” God said, “there will always be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.”

Think about that. Every time the sun comes up in the morning, God is keeping His promise. Every time summer turns to autumn and autumn turns to winter, God is keeping His promise. Every time a farmer plants seeds and they grow into food, God is keeping His promise to Noah.

Then God blessed Noah and his sons. “Have lots of children,” He said, “and fill the earth.” The world had been empty after the flood, but now it would fill up with families again.

God told Noah that people are very precious to Him, because He made them in His own image. That is why taking a person’s life is such a terribly serious wrong.

Then God made a special promise, called a covenant, with Noah and his sons, and with every living creature: the birds and the cattle and all the wild animals that had come out of the ark.

“I promise you this,” God said. “Never again will a flood wipe out all life. Never again will a flood destroy the whole earth.”

And God gave them a sign to help them remember. He set His rainbow in the clouds.

“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth,” God said, “and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My promise between Me and you and every living creature. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

So the next time you see a rainbow, after a rain shower when the sun comes out, stop and look at it. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and all the colours in between, curving across the sky. That rainbow is a sign of God’s promise. God made a promise thousands of years ago, and He is still keeping it today.

God always keeps His promises. He kept His promise to Noah, and He will keep every promise He makes to you.

Looking ahead to Jesus: The Bible says, “For all the promises of God are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Every promise God has ever made comes true because of Jesus.

Read it in your Bible: Genesis 8:15–9:17

Dear God, thank you for the rainbow and for the seasons and for every sunrise. Thank you that you always keep your promises. Amen.