His Promises Never Fail

God speaks to us in a variety of beautiful and unique ways. Through the bible, through people, through gentle whispers, in dreams, miracles, signs and wonders and so many others. Over the past 6 months, God has been speaking to me specifically through the sign, the symbol, of a rainbow. God started showing me rainbows when my life started to shift in August. I had just graduated college, moved out of my house and had gotten a new job while I was beginning to prepare for the World Race. I felt uncertain about a lot of things and preparing for such a life changing step was more than a tiny bit overwhelming. One afternoon, I was worshiping while driving in my car and a giant rainbow appeared in the sky. I smiled, remembering the story of Noah and the ark and of God’s promise. Honestly, I didn’t think a lot of it. Until I saw another one the next day, and then another one the next day. And then a few days later, I saw a double rainbow that spanned across the entire sky. The fact that these rainbows were gifts from God very quickly became undeniable, so I finally asked God what these rainbows meant. He said, “the rainbows symbolize my promises to you, Annie. The plans I have for you are good. I have never broken a promise before and I will not in the future. Step forward into this season knowing that everything I have promised to you, is yours”. So I walked into that season of preparation knowing that God had me and He had my future. Each time I saw a rainbow I praised God for His promises and for the plans He had for me.

The months came and went and before I knew it, training camp was here. Training camp was a whirlwind of two weeks filled with preparing and growing and encountering God. There was one day, right after we had been told who our teammates were, where they allowed us to go out into the town of Gainesville to bond and do some prayer walks. That day was a dream and God moved in some BIG ways as He revealed how intricately mine and my teammates stories were interwoven. After a full afternoon of sharing testimonies and sharing the love of Jesus with different people that God put on our hearts, we started heading back to the Adventures in Missions site. Through the car windows, we spotted a rainbow. We all gushed about how it was a sign of His promises He had for us, for our team, for our upcoming journey and the year that we had ahead. Over the months leading up to launch, we would send pictures of rainbows as God revealed them to us each personally. They came often and they were always encouraging.

Again the months came and went and before I knew it, launch was here. My parents and I road tripped to Georgia together and on the morning of the first day of launch, I smiled with tears in my eyes as God painted another rainbow across the sky. The reality of leaving home and my family and everything I knew was setting in, but my hope and trust was in Him. He hadn’t promised that the race would be easy, but He did promise that He had much more in store for me than I could ever imagine. He promised that He had gone before me and prepared the way and that as long as I walked beside Him, He would lead me where I needed to go. All He asked me to do was to not easily forget those promises.

I had thought that the rainbows were my spiritual symbol for the time I spent preparing for the Race, but God quickly proved otherwise. When we arrived in Bali our host’s wife said she had seen a rainbow the day we arrived. Our team shared how important that symbol was to us and we all thanked God for what He had in store for our month in Bali. And then, a few weeks later, we saw a rainbow on the bus leaving Bali. When we rode another bus to get to our ministry site in Sungai Petani, Malaysia, we saw a rainbow again. And then, you guessed it, God gave us another rainbow as we rode a bus into Fang, Thailand. Our minds were blown at how, without fail, these rainbows would appear (I think God just loves to wow us like that). With each country we entered into, God sent us perfectly timed symbols to remind us of His promises. To remind us that He was with us as we walked into the unknown of a new place, a new ministry and a new normal. The symbol of a rainbow started to mean more to us than just His promises. It was a symbol of His love for us, His tender care, His way to show us that He sees us.

Within two hours of arriving in Fang we learned that COVID-19 had escalated enough to where we needed to come home immediately. We were devastated and confused and numb. We had been pretty naive about the impact this virus was having on the world and the reality of the situation hit hard. We had a lot of questions. A lot of them still go unanswered. We prepared ourselves to come home to America. A new America where most people were confined to their homes and many were riddled with fear and walking through grief. It was a lot to process. Four days and a whole lot of travel later I found myself Dallas-bound on an eerily empty plane. As we began to descend, I stared out of my window, a million thoughts and emotions running through my mind. And there, in the clouds, a gigantic rainbow appeared. Immediately, I could hear God say, “this rainbow symbolizes my promise to you, Annie. The plans I have for you are good. I have never broken a promise before and I will not in the future. Step forward into this season knowing that everything I have promised to you, is yours”.

A perfectly timed symbol to remind me of His promises. To remind me that He is with me as I walk into the unknown of a new (yet familiar) place, a new ministry and a new normal. A reminder that God sees me. He is with me. He has gone before me and prepared the way. The plans He has for me are good. He has never broken a promise before and He will not in the future. I wasn’t expecting America to be the next country on my route for the World Race, but God is not surprised. If someone would have told me 6 months ago what would be happening in our world today, I would have said they were crazy, but God is not surprised. He knows the plans He has for us, plans to prosper us, to give us a hope and a future. He is the way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper, light in the darkness! Our God, that is who He is. 

So in these times where life doesn’t look like what you thought it would look like and plans are turned upside down. In these times that are full of unknowns and worries and fears and anxieties. In these times where news is bleak and grief is all around you, I encourage you to look for the rainbow. Do not easily forget His promises. Hold fast to the truth that He has gone before you and prepared the way and remember that God’s plan for us is far greater than anything we could ever imagine. 

His promises never fail.

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:16

 

**thank you to all who have reached out in the past week. I am so appreciative of the support, the prayers and the kind words. As for questions about what this means for the future, if/when I will be returning on the field, etc. we do not know any answers as of right now. AIM worked tirelessly to get all 550+ of their missionaries home last week and they are working still to bring us clarity on what the future holds for us. For any questions you might have, here is their most recent update:

https://youtu.be/t1k563hikTo 

Much love and many blessings!

Annie