Treasures of the Snow

Job 38:22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?

Recent weeks have brought us winter conditions unlike any we have seen in decades. I was thinking of a recent winter in which we experienced a good snow the day before winter officially started and another one the day after it ended, in between, nothing over an inch or two at a time. It was an unbelievable and unheard of winter. Then, we have had some very mild winters in which the temps were almost balmy.

Not so, the winter of 2009/2010. The Lord must have a real sense of humor when it comes to ‘global warming’. I think of the climate summit in Copenhagen in which US officials arrived to the worst blizzard in decades and came back home to the same here. And now, we experience this nationwide deluge of frigid temps, blankets of snow, high winds and all the trappings of blizzard conditions. This morning’s news showed snowy conditions in Memphis and Atlanta. Recently Dallas and parts of North Carolina and West Virginia received record amounts of snowfall. In addition, Europe is also being slammed with record winter weather.

I get the sense that others, besides myself, are already extremely weary of the treacherous weather. Today is the 5th day of school snow days in this young winter season. The kids are thrilled to be out of school…again. However, they have only attended school for 4 of the last 27 days. Church has already been cancelled a record 6 times this year! Even now, I am listening to the police radio as it is abuzz with traffic incidents on the slick roads. We are heading for 15 degrees below zero tonight and 22 below tomorrow night, add to that the real feel temps and we are going to break some more records.

I am getting cabin fever! I love my family, but hey, they really need to be in school!

The book of Job has a strange, yet wonderful take on this weather when it says, “Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?” What treasures can we find in snow (other than maybe our keys which fell from frozen, trembling fingers)?
The Word says that salvation causes our sins to go from red, like crimson to as white as snow.

It gives us the picture of a covering. All of our sins and flaws, just like the thorns and briars, are covered up with the beauty of snow.

Each snowflake is an individual. Each is comprised of 6 sides, the number of man. Each snow fall is comprised of billions upon billions of flakes, yet not a one of them is exactly alike. This helps us relate that God has made each of us alike in many ways and yet unique.

Snow can be very unhandy, but we have to admit, God has given us a great treasure in the snow which blankets the sin-cursed earth. Perhaps we should all share the enjoyment of it and find great glee when it falls as do our children!