Rainbow and the rains

If you want to see the rainbow, you must be ready to face the rains. A rainbow is seen after the rains.

Sometimes, our lives are so burdened with pain and suffering that we are unable to foresee happiness. The Psalmist gives us the assurance that burdens are temporary for those who trust in the Lord. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”(Psalm 30:5). The Psalmist sings, “Even though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”(Psalm 23:4). A British submarine was stranded underwater due to mechanical failure. They lost communication with rescue teams. Time began to run out and they grew weaker for lack of oxygen. One crew member grew extremely weak and was about to collapse. The commander suggested that all sing the hymn ‘Abide with me’, the words of which read: “The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide. When other helpers fail, Lord with me abide.”

As they began to sing, the weak crew member collapsed, his body hitting against the vessels’ surface facing equipment. And very strangely, the submarine began to rise. They all reached the port safely. This incident may remind us of what Corrie ten Boom, survivor of the Holocaust wrote, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” We are safer in a storm with God than anywhere else without Him.

Saint Augustine says, “If sorrow makes us shed tears, Faith in God dries them up.” He urges us, “Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.” We may at times feel God is punishing us. God never punishes, He purifies. Quite often, purification comes in the form of gentle trials. Those with strong Faith in God will not only draw strength to go through these temporary trials, but will also see God’s purpose in it.

A lady went to see a silversmith at his workshop. He placed a piece of impure silver into the middle of the flame. She asked, “Why do you place it in the middle of the flame?” He replied, “That is the hottest point of the flame where impurities burn off.” “Do you have to sit here the whole day?” she asked. “Yes,” he said. “But I also have to keep my eyes on this piece of silver till it is purified.” “How do you know when it is purified?” she asked. He replied “Till I see my image on it like a mirror.” 

Prophet Malachi says, “The Lord shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver”(Malachi 3:3). Face the rains, but foresee a rainbow that God promises you.