A Storm Without Rain

Photo Credit: Gene Blevins/Daily News

God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."     Genesis 9:12-16

     Driving home through the San Fernando Valley today, I saw two rainbows spanning the sky.  Traffic slowed, and it didn't bother me at all.  Odd, I thought, a rainbow, but with no sign of rain, no ensuing flood.  I began to ponder the promise God made to our father Noah.  Thinking about Noah, I remember talking about the flood story in one of my religion and literature classes - we talked about what separated Noah from the rest of humanity.  Why should God choose this one man from all the rest to save?   Was it random grace?  Was Noah a better man than the rest?  What made him so lucky?
     We finally settled on the conclusion God chose him because "Noah walked with God." Genesis 6:9.  That is to say, Noah was friends with God in a way that the rest of humanity was not.  They spent time together; they walked together, and God's promise not to destroy the world grows out of that relationship.  The rainbow reminds us to strive to walk with God every day, to trust that He will never let the flood drown us.