The Promise

I visited my friend, Betty last evening. She calls herself an "invalid," the British word for a disabled shut-in. Laughing and talking, we shared a slice of cake while we watched an inspirational music program on television.
At one point I looked out the window at the sky.
"Oh Betty, just look at that sky!"
There was a very dark grey-blue-black sky. Just at horizon level, the setting sun shone, lighting up a narrow strip of landscape. We jumped up and ran out to her little balcony to have a look. As we stood there, the beginnings of a rainbow could be seen. It was raining in the mountains, cloudy in the valley, and the sun was shining--perfect weather for a rainbow. In a few minutes, we could see a vivid double rainbow making two perfect parallel arcs in the sky.
As I looked at this gorgeous display, I thought back to the first time a rainbow was seen on earth. Noah and his family had just come out of the ark after being at the mercy of the elements for three months, and locked in for close to a year. God promised that He would never send a destroying flood of water on the earth again. Caught up in the beauty of a perfect double rainbow, I asked, "Can you just imagine what Noah thought the first time he saw one of these?" She answered by shaking her head, as she took this all in.

As I stood at the balcony railing with Betty, both absorbed in our own thoughts, I recalled an earlier conversation with her about another promise she had been given. It was 1940, and Hitler thought to intimidate Brittain into supporting him. He bombed London on September 7 and 8. It was called, the Blitz. Betty was a young 15-year-old girl who had just become a Christian. Her family thought she had lost her mind, and her parents were annoyed with this religion that changed the way she ate, how she worshipped, and how she spent her leisure time.
This particular evening of the bombing, another visiting family stayed with them in their home. After they had retired for the night, suddenly they heard the air raid sirens. Worse yet, they could hear planes overhead, bombs exploding, and see flashing lights and flames to the West. Betty woke up, terrified, and through her sobs began praying. A little boy sleeping in the adjoining room rushed into her room looking for someone to protect him. She held him while the bombs fell, and tried to provide solace for him. After it was quiet, she put him back in his room and returned to her own--too frightened to sleep. Again, she began to pray.

Betty had felt completely overwhelmed with her family's resistance to her newfound religious faith. Now the bombing seemed to take her to the very end of her resources. Crying, she continued praying for some time, sitting at the foot of her bed. Suddenly she became aware of a light that was getting brighter and brighter in the room. When she could finally open her eyes and look, she saw an angel in brilliant white clothes standing next to her bed.
"Don't be afraid, Betty" he said.
"But I have no one to take care of me--I'm all alone. My family think I'm crazy, and there is no one to help me," she cried back to him.
"I'll always take care of you. You have nothing to be afraid of." And he smiled warmly at her. She sat looking at him for several moments before he was gone as quickly as he came.
It was his promise.

If you fast-forward Betty's life to when she was 41, she planned to marry a man named James. He had just proposed to her and wanted her answer by Monday morning. On Saturday evening, Betty prayed before she went to bed, asking God to give her wisdom and to help her with this decision. About 2:00 a.m., she was awakened by someone shaking her. Betty lived alone, so this was terrifying. As she awoke from sleep, she heard a deep man's voice say aloud, "Do not marry James!" That was some dream, she thought, and went back to sleep. But in the morning, Betty couldn't put it out of her mind. Had God spoken to her? Had she just eaten too late and had a vivid dream? Sunday night before she fell asleep again, she thought again about what had happened. It must have been a dream, she said, and fell asleep.
About 2:00 in the morning she was again awakened by someone shaking her shoulder. "Betty. Do not marry James!" This time Betty woke up and sat up in bed.
"Why?"
"Do not marry James!"
"But Lord, I'm all alone. I'm here in America by myself and I have absolutely no one. I don't want to be alone" she began to cry.
"Do not marry James. I will take care of you. You will never be alone."
She didn't marry James.

As I stood with Betty on her balcony, I thought of these wonderful promises that have been made to her by God. He has been true to His word, because she has had every reason to fall through the cracks of society, becoming destitute and lonely. Yet after scrimping and saving all her life on a church secretary's salary, she lives in a beautiful, new retirement community, and has two younger women who love her and take care of her needs. I am blessed to be one of them.

Does God keep His promises? I had only to look at that beautiful rainbow last evening and stand next to someone who has received His promises to realize that He always has and He always will.