By Jan Davis
Special to The PREVIEW
The social media post asked homeowners to hang a picture of a rainbow in the front window of their residence, a virtual scavenger hunt as children searched every window and hoped to discover the rainbow first.
I hurried to make my own. Children held the hands of parents and pointed to the different windows as they strolled by. The rainbows even caught the attention of adults as they walked their dogs. A part of me wanted to display a sketch from every windowpane. A reminder of God’s eternal promise.
When God told Noah to build the ark as protection from a great rain, no one comprehended the significance of this event or how it would shift the course of history. Neighbors mocked him, yet he continued to work day after day. When the barrage of water came, Noah and his family remained safe. Life inside the ark became the new norm as death raged outside.
Today, we face an invisible enemy. Our world is confronted with a pandemic. Most Americans have never suffered at the hands of a nemesis of this magnitude in their lifetime.
The United States shifted into panic mode as shoppers dashed to stores and emptied shelves of nonperishable items. A shortage of toilet paper caused major anxiety for the general public. Why, no one understood. But the actions of society driven by fear became irrational. Chaos and confusion bred greed and created hoarding. Mankind switched to survival tactics.
Nothing in the past prepared us for this plague. The scare of the coronavirus rocked our world. We adapted to change and realigned our priorities. Individuals displayed concern for families. Jobs hung in the balance and markets bordered on recession. Citizens sacrificed for the greater good and learned to live with less and appreciate more.
As death tolls began to rise, the church left the building and became a feasible force in their communities. A rainbow in the midst of the rain. Christians focused on the needs of others and volunteers from every walk of life stepped forward to help.
Christ remains our ark, our help and refuge in the midst of this storm. He hears our prayers and speaks, “Be still and know, I am God.” We experience peace and discover rest in the midst of the turmoil. We receive supernatural strength and safety from the storm in Jesus. We cling to God’s everlasting pledge to never leave or forsake us.
We give from our overflow of time spent with Christ to a frightened world. We offer encouragement to the hopeless.
Great scientists, along with everyday people, hurry to discover a vaccination designed to protect people in the future. The aftermath of this tragic season will end, and life will return to a resemblance of normal. But until then, we hold to God’s eternal covenant and find shelter in him.
After restrictions lift and we walk out of our homes to shake hands with neighbors, hug friends and kiss family without worry of contamination, don’t forget to pause and reflect on lessons realized. We are stronger together. Then look for the rainbow, God’s timeless token of his goodness and faithfulness.
Because of Jesus, this, too, shall pass.
“The rainbow shall be in the cloud and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” -— Genesis 9:16 (NKJV).
I love you, but Jesus loves you more.
