Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 12– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“The rainbow will be seen in the clouds.'”

—Genesis 9:14

The rainbow is the symbol of God’s covenant with Noah, and it points to our Lord Jesus who bears witness to God’s covenant with his people. When and how do we see reminders of God’s covenant with us? The rainbow is painted upon the backdrop of clouds. When the sinner’s conscience is dark with clouds, when he remembers his past sin and mourns and laments before God, it is then that Jesus Christ is revealed to him as the covenant Rainbow. Jesus displays all the glorious hues of the divine character and, by doing so, gives us a token of God’s peace.

To the believer, when his trials and temptations surround him, it is sweet to behold the person of our Lord Jesus Christ– to see him bleeding, living, rising, and pleading for us. God’s rainbow is displayed amid the clouds of our sins, sorrows, and troubles in order to prophesy deliverance. A cloud alone does not produce a rainbow; the crystal drops within the cloud reflect the light of the sun. So, our sorrows must not only threaten as clouds, but the drops of rain must fall upon us. God’s glory is displayed when the terrible drops of anguish pelt the sinner’s conscience. Christ does not appear in our lives until the weight of penalty falls upon us and becomes grievous to our souls. But then the sun shines!  And the drops of rain suddenly produce rainbows for all to see.

Dear reader, our God, who is as the sun to us, always shines, but we do not always see him; clouds hide his face. But no matter what drops may be falling or what clouds may be threatening, if he shines on us, there will be a rainbow at once. It is said that, when we see the rainbow, the shower is over. Certain it is that, when Christ comes, our troubles are removed. When we behold Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside.” [M&E]