I think there’s one thing we all have in common: We’ve all prayed for something that we wanted. Something wasn’t what we needed. Recently, the Lord answered a prayer like that in a way that only He can do. Actually, somebody else also prayed for the same thing too.
A week before my daughter Sara’s wedding, I began to check the weather forecast every day, since the ceremony was to be held outside. At first, that Saturday was predicted to be nice and pleasant. But as it drew closer, the forecast changed to not only rain, but a chance of storms as well. At that point, I began to pray for the rain and storms to hold off until after the ceremony.
Friday evening at the rehearsal, I was talking to somebody about the weather for the next day. He made the comment that it would be awesome to have a rainbow in the sky above Sara and Jordan while they exchanged vows. I envisioned that scene in my mind. So, what did I start praying for? If you said a rainbow during the ceremony, you would be correct.
But then I got to thinking about it. How could we have a rainbow and still have a beautiful outdoor wedding? If it rained first, then the chairs for the guests would all be wet. If it rained too early and then cleared out, how would there be enough moisture in the air to have a rainbow over Sara and Jordan? None the less, I continued on with my prayer. I knew it was something the Lord could accomplish if that was in His will.
During the ceremony, there was a mixture of sun and clouds. Was I disappointed there was no rainbow? Not really. God had obviously answered my prayer for nice weather. At the reception, they opened the large door in the venue so we could go outside on to the patio. Several times I looked up into a threatening sky. There were dark clouds racing by and bolts of lightning in the distance, but we never experienced any bad weather where we were.
At one point, I was sitting with Tim’s family when his sister Penny came back to the table. She was so excited. “You’re not going to believe this, but I just took a picture of Sara and Jordan and there’s a rainbow in a cloud behind them!”
She showed us the picture on her phone. Sure enough, behind a smiling Sara and Jordan there was a portion of a rainbow in a cloud. It was if it had been painted on it. At that moment, the realization of what The Lord had done absolutely floored me.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9 (KJV)
Why was I so floored? Hadn’t He answered my prayer for a rainbow to be over Sara and Jordan? That’s true, but think about it. Everything had to be timed perfectly and intricately for the picture to happen. The sun was at the perfect angle, the moisture in the cloud was just right, and they stood in the perfect spot at the exact time needed to see it.
Plus, the bad weather had literally went all around us. We heard reports of heavy rain, hail, and bad storms from the areas all around us while we didn’t even have a drop of rain. So, God had answered my and the other person’s prayer in an almost miraculous way. In a way that our limited human minds could have ever imagined.
Brooke Cox is an author, speaker, and storyteller. She was a 2016 Selah Awards Finalist for Debut Novel. Her children’s book: “Dinosaur Eggs,” is now available. It is based on Ephesians 6: The Armor of God. Her novel “Until the Moon Rises: A Conniving Cousin Mystery” is also available. Also, she has two books out in her storytelling series: “Saucy Southern Stories.” The Amazon links for her books may be found on her website: brookecoxstories.com. Please feel free to contact her. She would love to hear from you.