“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work, he stops all people from their labor.” Job 37:5-7

Massive storm spanning Ohio Valley to Southeast, bearing down on Northeast ~ Accuweather, December 15, 2020, 9:05 AM

So, here we are… awaiting the first significant snowfall of the season.  I’m over at the church eagerly waiting for the first snowflake to fall. One of the things my family was looking forward to, moving back to Pennsylvania, was getting a bit more snow.  In northern Virginia, especially in the Washington D.C. suburbs, in recent years, we rarely got any significant snowfall. Ironically, the kids got “snow days” all the time, but it was usually at the threat of bad weather and not the actual weather itself. Authorities closed schools if there was any possibility of measurable precipitation. If it couldn’t be completely cleared off of sidewalks and roads before the busses ran, school was canceled.

I’ve always loved to watch the falling snow.  Big lazy flakes come down and cover everything, making things look fresh and clean.  Especially when we get a big accumulation, life slows down for a few hours as we await the end of the storm.  Family games, baking cookies, sitting by the fire and hot chocolate all precede the all-family shovel-fest and snowball fight as we clear our driveway and sidewalk and help our neighbors do the same.

Large snowstorms can teach us many things about God.  First, the coming of snow reminds us that God is sovereign and in complete control. We may think we have things figured out and often become self-absorbed in our own little world, but at a snap of his fingers, God can slow us down and refocus our attention.

He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. Psalm 147:16

Lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds… do his bidding. Psalm 148:8

He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ Job 37:6

In a world gone mad, the gently falling snow reminds me of a big God who holds the whole world in his hands and holds me.  In the grand scheme of things, we control very little and must rest in his Providential care. And that’s a healthy perspective to have.

Snow also reminds me of God’s greatest gift- full and free forgiveness secured for us by Jesus at the cross.  Though incredibly flawed and marred by sin, we, through simple faith, have access to a cleansing that makes us as “white as snow.”

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18

… wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7

It is so freeing to know that our sins, past, present and future, are not just covered, but completely wiped clean by the blizzard of God’s grace. Just like a heavy snow covers everything, there’s not a single sin that hasn’t been buried under the avalanche of his love.  On that first Christmas, the angel told Joseph to name the baby Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).  Snow reminds us of this. Have you ever come to know that your sins are forgiven?

What lessons can you learn from the snow? One of the benefits of a heavy snowfall is that (unless you are running a snowplow or an emergency responder) God “stops us from our labor” so we “may know his work” (Job 37:5-7). So, take some time today as the snow falls to reflect on the goodness of God.  We have a Heavenly Father who is sovereign over all, has forgiven our sins, calls us his children… and sends snow.

Let it snow!