Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."  

God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."  

God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Living so close to the water, my husband and I spend the summers on our boat sailing around Lake Michigan. The various shorelines of dunes, rocky cliffs and flat sandy beaches never get boring. We've enjoyed sunsets that take our breath away, night skies so clear that the stars are almost blinding, and rainbows that are a joy to behold.

Have you ever seen a rainbow from the water? It is an amazing sight. The colors are so pronounced that you feel as if you can reach out and touch each of them. The arc doesn't end at the horizon but continues on like a circle into the water and up the other side surrounding you with color; truly incredible yet soothing and peace filled.

God's love for us is like that. . .surrounding, encircling, never ending. Because of this love, God made a promise to Noah and uses a rainbow to remind us of that promise.