“I am so ready for spring.”
“Do you think school will be canceled this week?”
“Maybe we will have one more chance to go sledding.”
Reactions like these are not uncommon during the winter months. In the span of 24 hours, I have heard all three comments, along with the accompanying lament and enthusiasm depending on the perspective. As I write this column, our area is bracing for what may be the second big snowstorm of the season. Most adults are anxious for warmer weather while our children are looking to score at least a few more days home from school due to snow.
But what if I told you that winter holds much greater significance than stoking daydreams of summer vacation or the playfulness of childhood? Surprisingly, the Bible teaches that every winter has a predictable message that we would be wise to heed. So, what can we learn from a wintery mix of snow and ice? What spiritual truths do cold feet and runny noses point to?
First, the predictability of winter reminds us that God is in control. The constancy of creation points back to the faithfulness and power of our Creator. An often overlooked promise in Scripture is the monotony of our seasons. After the worldwide flood in the days of Noah subsided, God promised to never destroy the earth the same way again (Gen. 9:11). Even before the covenant sign of a rainbow (Gen. 9:12–17), God insisted, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease (Gen. 8:22).”
In this sense, every season, including winter, points back to the faithfulness of God to keep His promise. Prerequisite to this understanding is the fact that the Lord not only controls the seasons, but that He also utilizes each to do His bidding.
A recent study leading our congregation through the narrative of Job reminded me again that the God of the Bible is not only bigger, but also more intentional than we often realize. The book’s poetic expressions communicate the literal strength of the Lord. During the winter months, He instructs the snow and rain to fall, creates ice with His breath, forces beasts into hibernation, and directs both northern and southern storms (Job 37:6–10). He stores the snow and hail for times of distress, war, and battle (Job 38:22–23). He gives birth to both ice and frost in order to imprison what is below (Job 28:29–30).
No wonder the psalmist marveled, “He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow (Psalm 147:15–28).” The severity of winter points back to the magnitude of our God.
Second, the beauty of winter reminds us of the purity God provides. Two times in Scripture the Bible compares the cleansing of God’s forgiveness to the flawless scenes of winter. Despite having sins that are like scarlet, God promises to make them as white as snow (Isa. 1:18). Likewise, King David’s longing for purity left him begging God to wash him so that He could be clean like snow (Psa. 51:7). Every falling snowflake and every white blanket that wraps the earth is a picture of grace, reminding us God’s forgiving embrace through His Son, Jesus Christ. Ours is a God who makes all things new as the old passes away (2 Cor. 5:17).
Finally, the burdens of winter remind us that our greatest trials are temporary. Despite the beauties of the cold season, the hardships it often brings make it an appropriate metaphor for the trials of life. Blistering temperatures, icy roads and power outages leave us looking forward to the arrival of spring each year. The Song of Solomon celebrates the end of winter as an opportunity for a new beginning (Song Sol. 2:11–13). The subsiding of harsh weather reassures us that our difficulties will soon pass, hopefully bearing the fruit of endurance (James 1:2–4).
Though it seldom feels like it at the time, most of the adversities we face are only temporary inconveniences. The majority of our problems are not permanent experiences. Chances are, you WILL come out on the other side of whatever you are facing. Even the heaviest burdens that can sometimes last a lifetime are temporary against the backdrop of eternity (Rom. 8:18). Winter doesn’t last forever, and neither do our troubles.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This article was written by Adam B. Dooley, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
