Jog the Memory

"From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll remember my covenant between me and you and every living thing, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I'll see it and remember..." Genesis 9.15-16

It's cold today. As I creptout of the driveway this morning, my '97 Dodge Stratus groaned under the weight of the chill. Take me back to the garage, she said. Sorry, girl - gotta go in today. Snowflakes began to fall; not the big, fluffy jobbers, but tiny flecks of shimmering, light-catching silver like salt from a shaker. I'm paying attention to these flakes when I look up and see...a rainbow. I kid you not. It's probably 12 degrees, fleckled snow is falling, and there's a rainbow in the sky. Hopefully, someone caught it on camera phone and they'll explain tonight on the weather broadcast.

Those verses from Genesis are a little startling because the feel is that God will see the rainbow in the sky and go, Oh yeah. I remember...I promised not to let the floodwaters destroy everything. Now, I'm not calling into question the divine memory, but that is the feel the verses have.

I don't know about you, but my life has been flooded lately; the floodwaters have continued to rise daily and I sent a dove out on a look-see and she came back waterlogged. And it seems like the people around me have had a very floody feel about them as well. I was so thankful to see that rainbow this morning and I'm thankful that God saw it too so he could remember that eternal promise. Remember me, O Lord, by all means when you come into your Kingdom...but also in this kingdom today, here in the riptide of people and the swells of responsibilities and the waves of desire. We'll perish, Lord, without your mercy.