I’ll never see rainbows the same way again! I have a hunch your perspective will shift, too.
My rainbow revelation happened on June 5, while I attended a writer’s conference. As I slumped in my shabby chair and tapped my pen on my notepad, the professor explained this peace pledge:
“I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” -God
Here’s what struck me: when God spoke of His bow, He was referring to His ARCHERY bow! Upon discovering this, a quiver-full of thoughts penetrated my mind. Prismatic colors, questions, emotions. “How had I missed this for 35 years?!” I’ve heard the story of Noah’s ark, as well as God’s covenant to never flood the earth again, but how had this evaded my notice?
Seconds after my revelation, another image pierced my imagination: “I want my wife to take a picture of me holding my archery bow beneath God’s bow.” I reasoned it would take months to line up every component. My bride and I would both need to be home, we’d need enough time to grab a camera and my bow, and of course, the element completely out of my control—God would have to set His bow in the clouds. As I considered the odds, I sighed. “This is going to take a while.” Well, the next day, as my bride and I savored my favorite meal (lemon-seasoned Mahi Mahi with jasmine rice) the sun finally emerged from its chamber. For four days, a driving rain shielded it. As the sun’s rays crawled across our round glass table, yesterday’s vision crept into my mind. “I wonder…” I dropped my fork, leaped from my chair, and darted toward my porch. As I opened my squeaky front door and peeked out, a light breeze kissed my cheek and the aroma of fresh rain greeted me. Then, my jaw hit the doormat. There it was—GOD’S ARCHERY BOW! With eyes wide open, I hustled toward our bedroom closet, shouting, “Jen! Quick! Get the camera!” I flung open my bow case like a five-year-old opening presents on Christmas day. Usain Bolt would have been proud of how fast I came out of the closet. Then, Jen and I sprinted toward the front yard. As distant thunder rolled, we trotted barefoot through the wet grass. The tension of capturing the picture melted as I drew my tight bowstring. I aimed it toward heaven as Jenny aimed the camera toward me. SNAP. Picture taken. God arranged everything for us to capture the image the very next day!
THE OVERARCHING MESSAGE
Back to Genesis 9. I imagine Noah’s family floundered like fish out of water every time it rained after the watery deluge. “Is this a flood too?!” “Will it stop raining, or should we board our floating Eden again?” That was, until God hung His archery bow in the clouds. For His glory and their peace, He racked His bow. Only in God’s hands can a symbol of warfare become a symbol of peace.
It gets better… God’s archery bow sends an overarching message to all who will lift their gaze. “How do you know?” you ask? His Word is bursting at the seams with foreshadows of Jesus; clues and hints that the Holy Spirit inspired the Old Testament writers to pen centuries before the silent holy night (Jesus’ birth). For example, Noah’s ark foreshadows Christ. When God poured out His first wrath, all who were IN the ark were saved; all those who are IN Christ during the second wrath will be saved.
Armed with that knowledge, here’s what God’s bow foreshadowed—it pointed heavenward, away from humankind. To put a sharper edge on it, it pointed to Jesus. You see, the next time God unleashed His wrath was a few millennia later on a hill called Calvary, where His Son gladly stepped in front of the arrow for us! Jesus was pierced for our transgressions, for our sins. Now, if the word sin startles you, consider this—Have you ever wrestled with pride? (Me too.) Have you ever struggled with anger? (Me too.) Have you ever shaken your fist at God and chosen to love something He created more than Him? (Me too.) My point is that we’re all sinners (Romans 3:23). And while Christ, the Morning Star, hung on that rugged tree, God performed a miracle. He took your sins and my sins and placed them on Jesus. God nailed our pride to the cross. And even though Christ had the power to remove Himself from the cross, the Light of the world took our punishment like a man. Then, after suffering an dying, they buried His body, along with our sins. And on the first Easter morn, the Sun of righteousness rose from His chamber and brought “healing in His rays.” The Morning Star deprives no one of His warmth; there’s common grace for everyone, and forgiveness for all who place their faith in Him!
Are you in Christ? Is the Sun of righteousness the Ark of your salvation? He took your arrow. Will you take His gift?
Written by Logan Stogner, 2022 copyright
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I loved this so much! I can sense the Father’s delight in your eagerness for what He shares with you. This post put a joyful smile on my face, thank you, Logan!