I’m sure I’ve seen hundreds of them over my lifetime. And yet, I still find myself staring, completely awestruck when a storm passes by and a brilliant rainbow is left for our viewing pleasure. My mind always comes back to the same question, “Why do we have rainbows?” I don’t mean all the technical jargon about prisms and the color spectrum. I mean, why do we have rainbows in our world at all? The answer comes from Genesis 9.

After flooding the entire earth, God said this, “I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh” (13-15).

The reason rainbows exist at all is because of the covenant God made with all creation — He will never flood the entire earth again. Rainbows exist as a reminder of God’s promise. Have you ever noticed that most rainbows come after the storm has passed? It’s almost as if, now that the storm is over, God is saying, “Look, I have kept my promise.”

While the rainbow is an important promise for our physical safety, it’s also a reminder to us that God keeps all of His promises (Hebrews 6:18; Titus 1:2; Numbers 23:19). This is such a comforting thought.

At that point when we are saved from our sins (Acts 2:38), God doesn’t speak from heaven and send a dove down from the heavens on us. There is no rushing feeling of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. We know we’ve been saved because God has promised us as much when we obey Him (1 Peter 3:21; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16). It’s comforting to know this.

I’ve never seen heaven. I’ve never seen God’s form like Moses once did (Exodus 33:18-20). But I know God has promised that His faithful servants will reach heaven and be with Him for all eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). I so long for this day!

We serve a God who keeps His promises. Let’s praise Him for doing so. Let’s thank Him for the blessings He has promised us. Let’s not take these promises for granted.

But let’s also not forget the promise we have made. When we became Christians, we made a covenant with God to serve Him for life. Too often we forget this covenant or take it lightly. Let’s also be people who keep our promises. Let’s honor the Lord with a full life of obedience and faithful service.