He says to the snow, ‘Fall on
the earth,’ and to the shower, ‘Be a heavy rain.’ With it, he stops everyone from working, so
everyone knows it is the work of God.” Job 37:6-7 CEV
Just the other day
I went out to the driveway to start my wife’s car so that it would be warm
inside for her and the girls, and there was this strange substance that had
accumulated on the windshield wipers. It
was like dust, but white, and cold. It’s
almost hard to believe that it was snow!
A trace, but still snow.
This is such a rare
thing for this part of the world. Of
course it was just a dusting, and without some effort, you wouldn’t have even
seen it, but it was there, and I know who put it there!
This verse from Job
is similar to many work policies in this part of the country (including
ours). It almost sounds biblical: “He
says to the snow “Fall on the earth” and everyone stops working!”
I think I
appreciate the snow in Texas for this very reason, it is so rare. Those things that don’t happen all the time
have a special way of getting our attention.
Sometimes, the more common beauties of life somehow escape our
attention. It’s as though they’re too
familiar to even notice. That’s a shame
really. We should be more aware of the
blessings of God in even the smallest of things.
As rare as snow is
for us, imagine how it was for the people of Israel. We often think of Israel as being mostly
desert-like, and that is true for much of the country. But, like Texas, they did occasionally see
snow, especially in the central highlands which includes Jerusalem. As our verse indicates, the people of Israel
knew who the Source of their blessings was.
They also knew whose work the beautiful snowfall was. The idea that each flake of snow is directed
by the Lord our God sort of dazzles me.
What does that look
like? I think about the most complicated
systems on the earth, and they pale in comparison. What is even more striking is that while the
snow is falling, everything else that God has in motion continues to work
flawlessly as well. We really can’t
fathom the breathtaking power of God Almighty.
In our world we
need some things to remind us of the power, and majesty, and sovereignty of our
God. For me one of those things is
snowfall. There is just something about
it that reminds me of God’s ever-present work on the earth. It’s a rare day for us indeed, but I cherish
every one.
It’s hard to know if we’ll have a beautiful snowy day this year or
not. It’s certainly been a while for
us. But if we do, take a minute to stop
what you’re doing, and consider the Source of the beautiful flakes. When you do, you’ll appreciate the weather
for more than just the accuracy of a forecast
Scripture to Claim:
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17)
Submitted By Keith Warren