Our Daily Bread: Finding Comfort in Times of Loss Sample

The Rainbow And The Cross

A steady rain was falling. In the east, lightning punctuated dark, angry clouds. In the west, the sun shone brightly. And set against that ominous sky in living color was the most brilliant rainbow I’d ever seen. For a few brief moments earth’s Creator was whispering through the soft glow of that spanning arch. But were people listening? Did they hear His message of mercy? That rainbow reflected God’s promise that He would never again judge the wickedness of the earth by a flood.

Another symbol also speaks of mercy. It is a rough-hewn cross, whose shadow is cast over all of history against the backdrop of human sin. It promises that God’s wrath will never fall on those who trust Christ as their Savior. Jesus Himself bore its full force in our place. The rainbow and the cross both speak silently of God’s love.

But what if we reject it? God gives us that freedom. There are no other symbols of mercy, no other covenants. God has done all He can do to win our voluntary allegiance.

If you don’t know Him, let Him win you with His goodness and loving restraint. Look to Calvary, where He Himself bore the awful consequences of your sin and mine in the person of Christ. —Dennis De Haan

Faith is not just believing that Jesus can save; it’s asking Him to do it.