A Full Double Rainbow

A Good Way to Start the Day

As Laura and Jaylin were leaving to go to school the other morning, we saw a full double rainbow in the sky. It had not been raining, but obviously there was some rain in the area, since rain is one of the ingredients needed to make a rainbow.

Because I leave home a little later than they do, I had plenty of time to run back inside the house and grab my camera. And I was glad that I did, because I really liked the way that the photo turned out.

As it happens, this was on the morning of September 11, 2018, the 17th anniversary of the terror attacks of 2001. I know that every year when that date rolls around, some people worry that something similar might happen again.

But there was the rainbow in the sky that morning. A reminder from God that He is all-powerful and ultimately in control. That does not mean that bad things will not happen and that the world will be full of good times and easy living. But it does mean that if we are on God’s side, we will ultimately be on the winning side in the end.

The Meaning of the Rainbow

As you may remember, God put the rainbow in the sky after the earth had been destroyed by a flood. The only survivors had been those whom God had found faithful: Noah, his wife, his sons, and their wives. God made a covenant that He would not destroy the earth with water again. He placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of that covenant, as we read in Genesis 9.

While through the years rainbows have come to symbolize different things to different people, the One who put it in the sky in the first place told what He intended it for. And while the covenant is strictly about God not destroying the earth with water, to me that covenant is also a reminder of God’s power. He does have the power to destroy the earth with water, or with anything else. He does have the power to place a rainbow in the sky. And He does care for me. For you. And for everyone else, particularly those who follow His will.

I fully believe that He will protect those who follow Him, just like He protected Noah and his family. That does not always mean sparing us from death. But it does mean that He has prepared a place for those who follow Him and keep His commandments.

Soon after I took this photo (and a few other photos, just to make sure I got a good one), the rainbow was gone. But that does not mean that God’s promise had ended. It just means that sometimes He likes to remind us of that promise, just to make sure that we have not forgotten. And He reminds us of his power and love as well. We will do well not to forget that.

Bible Verse

The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the form of the Lord’s glory. - Ezekiel 1:28

About the Photo

I know you might be getting tired of photos of our front yard, such as this one and this one recently. But the above photo was too good not to share.

For this photo, I went back to the Olympus camera because of the fisheye lens that I have for that camera. I wanted to be sure to capture the entire rainbow in one photo.

In working to make the rainbow (and its double) a little brighter in the photo, a good bit of grain is present. Sometimes I go in and try to clean up the grain a bit in photos. But for this one, I liked what it added, so I left it in. It adds a little texture to the clouds and the sky, and I don’t mind that at all.

I particularly liked the blue of the sky here. And I also liked how the sky under the rainbow was a different color from the sky above the rainbow. I know that is due to how the sun shines through the light to make the rainbow, but it is still cool to see here.

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens:Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 Fisheye Lens
Date: September 11, 2018
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee