I’ll bet most of us have seen a rainbow at some time in our lives, but have you ever seen a moonbow?

Frankly, until recently I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Moonbows, also known as lunar rainbows, are rainbows which are produced by moonlight rather than by direct sunlight. As such, they’re usually fainter than regular rainbows, and may even appear white.

But moonbows are still evidence of the sun’s presence, because they’re created by reflected sunlight bouncing off the moon. They’re a very special reminder that the sun is still shining, even when we can’t see it.

Sometimes I think God puts believing friends in our lives to function as “moonbows” for us.

There are often times when we may feel a bit disconnected from God. We don’t sense His presence as clearly as we usually do. Those times may be like when the clouds obscure the sun. We know the sun is still there, of course: it’s only temporarily hidden. We know we’ll see it again, just as we have faith that we’ll be able to get back on track with God once again.

But what about the times when the sky seems to be not just grey, but completely black in our lives? We may be going through something deeply traumatic, and are suffering as a result. God doesn’t seem to be present at all in our lives: we seem to have plunged into an abyss of darkness. We might even have trouble believing that He still loves us.

It’s at times like these that I think God puts special friends in our lives. Like the moon reflecting the sun’s light, these Christian friends reflect God’s love and goodness to us. When we feel cut off from God, these precious brothers and sisters in the faith minister to us and remind us that the sun is still shining and God is still on the throne, even though it seems like darkest night to us.

“Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5 NKJV)

“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.” (Psalm 143:8 NIV)

If you’re feeling like things are very dark in your life right now, and you’re even having trouble connecting with God, ask Him in His mercy to send you a “moonbow,” a believing friend who will reflect His lovingkindness to you and walk with you through the night until you see rays of hope again.

God loves you so much, He just might send you a rainbow at night to prove it!

© 2020 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.