A SYMPHONY OF RAINBOWS
by Grace Genevieve Low (Singapore, Dec 2004)
“Jesus is still looking for those who are willing to have a testimony created through their lives. One of the major characteristics of a God-ordained testimony is for something to happen that cannot be explained in the natural. In other words, if you can make it happen through your abilities, it is not a testimony about God, but about you”.
For the longest time, I have been dragging my feet to write about my mountain trip in August 2003. This was an experience I still recall with shining eyes when I think about it. Even to this day, it continues to cradle my soul – that I thought no amount of written words could fully convey or describe this unfathomable marvel of God. I would have been contented that it remains this way if not for my friends in Christ, who urged me repeatedly to put it all down in writing. So here it is today, my testimony to all of you.
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I had a rude shock when I arrived for a holiday at the South Island in New Zealand in August 2003. Somehow, I had the impression I was off to a leisurely scenic-tour. It turned out to be a trekking expedition that I was ill prepared for both mentally and physically.
On the third day, I thought I was going to die in the mountains. Clinging over a cliff on the way to the glaciers, I looked down and could not see the bottom. I was crying and shaking violently with fear as some rock fragments tumbled over my head. As I prayed feverishly, begging God -- my time is not up yet, there’s so much I have not done, my destiny’s unfulfilled, my family needs me etc., a voice touched me for the first time in my life. I distinctively heard a firm yet gentle voice "Be not afraid, my daughter", that resonated loudly from my heart to my head. I looked around in shock and saw no one in sight. Have I gone delirious with fear? Yet, a sense of deep calm overcame me. Through the trek that day, these five words kept replaying in my mind and I was at peace. That night, while we slept, two major earthquakes (7.6 and 7.1 on the Richter scale two hours apart) struck nearby. According to my trek-mates, our bus was jumping up and down the road for 45 seconds. It turned out I was the only one in the group who “curled up like a prawn” and slept through New Zealand’s biggest earthquake in 30 years.
The end of our trip took us to the last mountain, Mt Cook - the highest mountain in New Zealand. To get there, we had to trek through a valley that was surrounded by many snow-covered mountains. By the time we reached Mt Cook, it was close to sunset... and the view... the mountain top was bathed in pink, orange and golden hues... it's awesome beauty took my breath away and I was trying so hard not to cry. This was truly a glimpse of heaven on earth. I actually exclaimed "Well Done, Father! This is the most beautiful of your creation, Congratulations!". But you know, the same voice I heard resonate within on the glaciers, I had forgotten about it and it just came back to me instantly... "I also made you beautiful". I was so stunned and so touched... coz' I struggled with this when I was young, where I was constantly labelled as ugly, useless and good-for-nothing. So, I grew up with very low self-esteem and feeling I am not good enough. And at that moment at Mt Cook, healing took place to nurse the buried wounds of my childhood.
On the eve of my departure from New Zealand, we were on the bus heading towards an inactive volcano to spend our last night. It was a 4-hour drive pass many mountains and that gave me lots of time to pray and reflect...
For some strange reason, doubts started to creep in. I started questioning: “Will all these experiences end and be forgotten when I go back home? What was this all about? Where is this leading me? Am I going back to square one when I return to the city life? Did God really speak to me? Is He for real? Did I imagine it all? Am I losing my mind?”. These thoughts started to grow louder and louder in my head.
I started to feel miserable and confused. In desperation, I pleaded with God for a sign. I really needed something to dispel these thoughts once and for all. I needed a sign before I leave New Zealand. I decided on a huge sign, to ask for the impossible, that will leave me with no doubt that it can only be from God. I asked to witness a rainbow in the sky and it had to be within the next two hours before sunset, as I leave for Singapore the next morning.
I asked our guide if we will see a rainbow and he said "not a chance". He had checked the weather and it was going to be sunny all the way. He explained: to have a rainbow, you need rain and the sun must shine through the clouds at a certain angle. In addition, one needs to be perpendicular to the rainbow arch, coz' if we are standing at the start of the rainbow, we would not be able to see much. My heart sank, I thought, gosh! This is a science! Why oh why did I have to ask God for such a difficult sign!
One hour to destination, still no sign of rain. I started to dread the impending disappointment. I prayed repeatedly, "Please God, please... this will mean the whole world to me.... please, just one tiny rainbow. Failing which, then maybe, as a last resort, a passing car with a rainbow decal!".
Half hour to destination.... the start of a drizzle! I pressed my face against the bus window and fixed my gaze upon the sky. Breathless with hope, my soul pleaded relentlessly, "please Father… please… this is the only chance… just one rainbow". The guide went, “ now, now my dear, we are reaching soon, so don't bet on it".
15 minutes to destination, the guide who's also the driver shouted at the top of his voice, "A rainbow!". The bus swerved to a road shoulder on the narrow single-lane road. This road shoulder had just enough space to accommodate the one bus i.e. any other passing vehicle would not be able to stop to see rainbow. I leapt out of my seat and dashed out but could not see anything in the sky. The driver pointed to the extreme right corner down the valley, and I saw a small speck of rainbow. I was so happy.
Imagine my astonishment, when that speck started to grow, it turned out to be the starting point of a rainbow formation. A full arch appeared gradually across the sky, the colours became stronger and then, faded away. Suddenly, I saw another speck starting from the extreme left... and another one on the right.... and another one... each growing to a full arch.
And how I wept... I think I wailed and could not stop... It felt like something from very deep within my heart that was set free... I could not even control the voice crying loudly. I wanted to cry forever, the endless tears of joy and gratitude. I had only asked for one tiny rainbow and God painted for me a symphony of rainbows in the sky. I don’t know how long I stood there crying but the people in the bus were shell-shocked. Someone finally told me to come in, there were no more rainbows and it was getting dark.
Our guide was spooked and refused to drive until I explain to him what this ”rainbow business” was all about. In between sobs, I just told them what I wrote above.... the whole bus listened in stunned silence and no one spoke anymore on the way down the volcanic valley. The next day at Christchurch airport, we all had a group hug before making our way home to our respective countries. The other lady on the trip thanked me for sharing about the rainbow. She said she came on this trekking trip to get away from a nasty divorce. While on the mountains, she kept questioning in her heart, "Is there really a God? Does He ever care for people like me?" And she said she got her answer from my sharing.
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