22 Jul, 2008
Somewhere, over the rainbow...
A Rainbow "Cold As Ice"
Rare "Rainbow" Spotted Over Idaho in 2006
It looks like a rainbow that's been set on fire, but this phenomenon is as cold as ice.
Known in the weather world as a circumhorizontal arc, this rare sight was caught on film on two years ago as it hung over northern Idaho near the Washington State border.
The arc isn't a rainbow in the traditional sense—it is caused by light passing through wispy, high-altitude cirrus clouds. The sight occurs only when the sun is very high in the sky (more than 58° above the horizon). What's more, the hexagonal ice crystals that make up cirrus clouds must be shaped like thick plates with their faces parallel to the ground.
When light enters through a vertical side face of such an ice crystal and leaves from the bottom face, it refracts, or bends, in the same way that light passes through a prism. If a cirrus's crystals are aligned just right, the whole cloud lights up in a spectrum of colors.
This particular arc spanned several hundred square miles of sky and lasted for about an hour, according to the London Daily Mail.
picture & story courtesy nationalgeographic.com/news, 6/19/06
Genesis 9:8-17 (CEV)
8Again, God said to Noah and his sons:
9I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you. 10This includes the birds and the animals that came out of the boat. 11I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.
12-13The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise forever. 14When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, 15I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let floodwaters destroy all life. 16When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature. 17The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about the spiritual significance of a rainbow?
Check out the study notes from Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE:
9:8-17 Noah stepped out of the boat onto an earth devoid of human life. But God gave him a reassuring promise. This covenant had three parts: (1) Never again will a flood do such destruction; (2) as long as the earth remains, the seasons will always come as expected; (3) a rainbow will be visible when it rains as a sign to all that God will keep his promises. The earth's order and seasons are still preserved, and rainbows still remind us of God's faithfulness to his word.
Many people think about the classic movie, THE WIZARD OF OZ, when they see a beautiful rainbow. Come on, be honest - right now you want to hum Dorothy's infamous 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.
But poor Dorothy could only hope that the "Great Oz" would fulfill her dreams and give her what she wanted.
As God's children (through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ) we can base our daily and eternal hope in the fact that our Heavenly Father always keeps His promises. We dare not treat Him as some sort of "Great Oz" who should give us what we want. But we should take heart in knowing that God is perfect, that He loves us unconditionally, that He knows what is best for us, and that we can trust Him to keep His word all the time.
The next time you see a rainbow, let God flood your mind and heart with His loving promises!
- Praise God for Who He is.....thank Him for being a perfect, loving, Heavenly Father...thank Him that you never have to wonder if He will keep His promises....to keep loving you....to keep forgiving you....to lead and guide you....to strengthen you...to use you....to bring you to His eternal Heaven....(you fill in the next)....
- Whenever you see a rainbow this summer, praise God for Who He is and for keeping His promises.
- Use a topical study Bible to look up at least ten of God's promises to His people.
How can we connect today's story and God's Story scripture and our story to others?
- Send today's DAILYBIDE to someone to encourage them, or use it as a conversation starter with someone who is interested in God's Story.
- With those in your storysphere, ask questions about promises kept and promises broken. Find out how they feel toward others who have broken promises or those who have kept promises. Look for the opportunity to share part of your story, which includes God keeping His promises to you.
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [13]
- May 2008 [20]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [19]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [19]
- November 2007 [16]
- October 2007 [20]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [10]
- May 2007 [12]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [11]
- June 2006 [3]
