Standing in a Rainbow - M. Laycock

The lake spread out before us, calm and serene under a blue sky. High banks rimmed with evergreen and poplar trees hemmed us in, with imposing mountains looming in the background. As our large houseboat puttered along we smiled at one another. What could be more relaxing than this?

Then the wind picked up. The lake became a bit disturbed. My son-in-law, Rick, put down his fishing rod and hurried to the bow to tell us a storm was coming. I looked back to see white caps rising on the water and swaths of rain pounding down on the trees on both banks behind us. Rick said something about beaching but before we could find a spot the storm was upon us. It was too late to turn into the wind, so we ran with it, my husband white-knuckling the steering wheel as he tried to keep the boat straight. Waves grew as the storm's blast increased. Water started coming up over the bow. We rode the storm for the next hour until it passed over, glad to finally find a sheltered cove in which to beach once the wind had died down.

As the men secured the tie-downs I stepped out onto the lower deck and gasped. A vibrant double rainbow arched across the sky. Then we noticed the end of the smaller bow was right there before us, on the small beach. Rick leaped over the railing and ran toward it but when he got closer he could no longer see the bright glow of colour. We directed him until he was standing in the exact spot where the rainbow ended. Thrilled with such an unusual opportunity he raised his hands and hooted as we snapped pictures.

"God's promise," someone said in a soft voice and I remembered. God has promised to keep us safe, promised to bless us and even delight us, if we will but delight in Him.

How much we would delight His heart if we would run to him as Rick ran to the end of that rainbow. He wants to shower us with His blessings. All we have to do is be there to receive them. But too often we don't take time to talk to him, don't listen for His voice, don't even read the love letter He sent us. We stand at a distance and stare when we could be right in the middle of the blessing, discovering his goodness like the treasure at the end of a rainbow.

The Psalmist David wrote - "They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." (Psalm 36:8& 9).

May we all find ourselves there.