It seems fitting that during this time of year when we are in the middle of the hurricane season, we remember the story of Noah. The Bible says after the great flood, God made a covenant with Noah and all living creatures on Earth, promising never to destroy the world by flood again. The rainbow is described as a sign of this covenant, symbolizing God’s promise. Genesis 9:12-16 (NIV) states, “And God said, This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
We “look up” for the rainbow after a storm, and I am sure, like many people, we remember the story of Noah and what the rainbow represents. However, sometimes, we don’t need a storm to see God’s promises in our lives. I like to think in these moments, instead of rainbows, that we see “God-Winks.” I realize the concept of “God-Winks” is not a specific biblical term. In American culture a wink indicates a joke, a secret, or a flirtatious gesture but in this context, I see it as a display of God’s affection for me. I believe that when we see signs or messages from God, it reminds us of His presence, guidance, and that His promises are still happening.
I want to share a “God-Wink” that happened in my life. I am going to start by saying I love coffee! I only drink decaf and have for years, even though I know there is still a tiny amount of caffeine in it. As a result, I am also a connoisseur of creamers and found that Silk’s Half & Half is the best dairy alternative on the market. During one of the weeks of my husband’s illness, when I was feeling pretty battle-weary, I opened the refrigerator door to grab the creamer. Instead of seeing the front of the container, the side was forward facing with two big, bold words at the top, “We Believe.” There are other words, but the top line had those two huge words. Standing in front of my refrigerator, I instantly knew that God had “winked” at me with these two simple words. No doubt, rainbows are far more beautiful, but I was overwhelmed with comfort when it was most needed. I knew Tom and I believed in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. But on that day, my “God-Wink” was on the side of a carton of creamer, which I used every day, but I had never paid attention to the words on the side. Those words summed up where I needed to keep my focus…in believing, and like Noah, looking up at the rainbows, knowing God would keep His promises and knowing that our belief would carry us through.
While I have other “God-Winks” stories, this one made me wonder if others were occurring in my life, but I missed them because I was too busy to notice. Since then, I have tried to be more attentive to God in the world and his presence in my life. I don’t believe in coincidence, but I do believe that God is at work in our lives, no different than he was in Noah’s. HE is ever present; perhaps, we just need to stop more often to look up, listen, or even stay still and take notice of the “God-Winks” happening in our lives.
(Genesis 9:12-13 NIV) And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
