Psalm 74 - Remember Your Promise

Hanging in one of the windows in my office is a beautiful cut-glass piece that my Dad made years ago. I didn’t think about the placement too much when I put it in the window but I am glad it is where it is. At a few points in the year when I walk in on Sunday morning, it catches the morning just right and one of my walls is covered with rainbows from the prism effect in the glass. A few years ago I photographed one that looked like a rainbow flame.

Well, this past Sunday, there was a pretty good breeze outside and when I walked into my office that morning, I saw this.

I just sat there mesmerized by this energetic and vibrant rainbow. It was so unique and so beautiful. There is so much that the rainbow speaks - it speaks of the uniqueness of light, of inclusion and welcome, and it also traditionally speaks of the promises of God, per the end of the Noah/Flood story in Genesis.

Towards the end of Psalm 74, we read of the Psalmist calling upon God to remember God’s promise (or covenant depending on the translation). Fischer translates verses 20-21 in this way:

Don’t forget your promise
For in the shadows of the world violence thrives
Don’t send the oppressed back dismayed
Give the poor and needy good reason to praise you

Notice how the Psalm contrasts how God’s promise is contrary to the places of the shadows where violence thrives. And that promise is traditionally illustrated in a rainbow which is simply the way that water in the atmosphere separates light into its separate wavelengths. God’s promise is revealed in light. Simple as that.

No wonder so many forms of media about hope center upon light. Hold it Up to the Light by David Wilcox. 13 (There is a Light) by U2. Lean in Toward the Light, A Light in the Window, and Where the Light Comes Down by Carrie Newcomer. This Little Light of Mine. Here Comes the Sun by The Beatles. Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. After the Storm by Mumford and Songs. And there are many Christian songs and hymns that center on the same idea (including one that is incredibly well known but has been so overused that I will not mention it here). In a well-known Playstation 5 game called The Last of Us about life after an apocalypse, one of the phrases throughout is “When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light.” In the Lord of the Rings movies, there is the quote from the wizard Gandalf promising them about his return. He says, “Look to my coming at first light on the 5th day. At dawn, look to the East.” In the book, this quote is somewhat different but a similar intent. These are just a few examples.

The Gospel of John begins with speaking of light in the person of Jesus... (John 1:3b-5)

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Ah how illumination speaks to hope, to promise, and to restoration. In the video above, I loved how the promise is moving and energetic. It isn’t static, but it is alive. May hope and promise be that for you today.

Grace, Peace, Love, and Joy,
Ed

PS - Even Scout got in the rainbow act a few days ago...