The weather has been as contrary and unpredictable as the politicians here in the Washington, DC, area for the past few weeks. I think we have had everything but drought and snow and sleet. It was hot, sticky and humid, and then a Canadian cold front (thanks!) rushed in, bringing tremendous lightning and thunderstorms and flash flooding, leaving us with us cool weather free of humidity — and el fresco dining all around the city.

It was Friday afternoon of the July 4th week, but even with the day off in the middle, it still seemed like a long week to me. Work had been long and busy and stressful, with the start-up of a new non-profit organization and all of the angst that accompanies a new venture.

I had just taken the founder of the agency to his home and was returning. It had been raining off and on, and drivers were zipping along. Driving is never fun in "DC", but it is especially dreadful when it's raining and it's a Friday rush hour.

Fortunately for me, I have been in the midst of a personal spiritual breakthrough, and had a wee bit more patience than "most" of the other drivers. Also, I have been studying the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:10, so I have been carrying that scripture on a pocket coin to keep it fresh in my mind.

To my surprise, on the return trip, the sun began to shine in the midst of the rain, and a brilliantly colourful rainbow appeared arching completely across the sky.

How peaceful, I thought, as I made my way home. The road I took was a surface route that first went right, then left, then curved and zigged and zagged, and to my utter amazement, so did that rainbow. It led me — following my path, in front of me — to my home. I was sure, had I made a U-turn, that it would have been right there in front of me going in the opposite direction.

The more my path meandered, the more the rainbow stayed right there in front of me, like a beacon guiding me home. How like God in His greatest glory to send a covenant of such splendour to remind us of His presence. He promised Noah that He would not flood the earth again, and His rainbow was a sign that He keeps His word. What a beautiful reminder the rainbow was to me that day that He does indeed keep His word — not just about the flood, but about His love, His grace, His guidance and His presence each and every day.

Prayer: Heavenly maker of the covenant and the rainbows in our lives, may we always see the colourful reminders of Your truth and loving ways as You lead us home. May we always know that when we grow weary from our busy-ness in life, if we stop and be still for a moment, we can find Your covenant all about us in nature. Let Your covenant be a rainbow to our hearts reminding us of Your eternal presence and support of our every need. Amen.

In spiritual Twelve Step Recovery programmes, Step 11 states that we "sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." In this step, people are urged to go beyond their own problems to develop a life of conscious, on-going contact with God.

There was a time, when things went wrong, that my prayer was to cry out swearingly, "Why me, God?!" At other times I prayed, asking for jobs, money or just to get me off the hook. It was always about me and my needs, or, should I say, wants. How shallow I must have seemed.

Now, I spend more time communicating with God, rather than just asking for special favours. For a long time, I had to accept blindly the validity of prayer before I got to the point where prayer was truly meaningful for me. I believed in my belief until it became reality. Today, I pray in many ways: kneeling at the foot of my bed for morning prayers and for giving thanks, or just a brief moment of mental connection before some activity in which I feel vulnerable. At other times, it's a chat during my commute to work. Sometimes I feel the need for additional support, and include prayer circles. Talk about "moving mountains!" It doesn't seem to matter where or how, God is always right there, wherever I am. He hears; I just have to open my mind and my heart and speak.

Prayer: O God, we offer you thanks for the many blessings we're about to receive today. Please help us to forgive those who seem to go against your will or who approach us with negativity. Show us how to relate to each person or situation that appears to be counter to your grace, with love and compassion. May we remember, all during the day, that you are just a prayer away. No matter where we are, you are there and hear us. And, as the sun sets tonight, remind us of the lessons we have learned, the love we have shared and the progress we have made towards accepting your grace. Amen.