God’s Left Hand

God’s Left Hand

I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you.

Genesis 9:13

When my niece Dawn was five years old, I was staying with her while my sister was away for a few hours. We were playing games, eating snacks, and having fun.

Suddenly a huge thunderstorm rumbled into town. Dawn and I snuggled together on the sofa, listening to the crashing thunder and watching brilliant lightning flashes.

After almost an hour the storm finally stopped, and we headed to the kitchen for an ice cream sundae as a reward for surviving the storm. As I walked into the breakfast nook, I saw a magnificent rainbow through the big bay window. The entire rainbow, from end to end, was visible in all its glory.

“Hey, Dawn,” I called, “come and look at this!”

“Wow! It’s so pretty,” she said with feeling.

“Dawn, do you know the story of the rainbow in the Bible?”

“Well, of course!” she said indignantly.

“Would you tell it to me? I think I’ve forgotten some of it.”

“Well, one time God got really mad at everybody on earth. So he decided to make a flood. The only people he wasn’t mad at were Noah and his family. So God told Noah to build a big boat and put all the animals on it. (I don’t know how they did that part.) Anyway, it rained and rained, and the big boat floated around. Then it finally stopped raining, and God was sorry he had gotten so mad. Then with his left hand he drew a big rainbow in the sky and promised he’d never do it again.”

“Yes, now I remember. But why do you think God used his left hand to draw the rainbow?”

“Well, don’t you remember that the Bible says Jesus was sitting on God’s right hand?”

—Foy O. Jackson

Father, thank you for reminding us that you love us. Thank you for saving us and for keeping us safe. Amen.