Snow

It's snowing in Texas.

There is a beautiful softness to the landscape as tender flakes slowly cover the ground in a muted blanket. All seems well with the world.

The kids are excited because they're hoping to get out of school. New Englanders wouldn't be quite so thrilled because they have to shovel it, but here in Texas we don't have that problem. We can sit back and enjoy the beautiful scene that is laid down before us.

It struck me that before the Flood, it had never rained, so had it never snowed either. Rain was a direct result of the judgment of God upon a world that had grown increasingly wicked. Even though the lessons from the Garden of Eden were not many generations away, the echoes of God's righteousness had all but faded, and the ears of that generation had turned deaf to the warnings of Noah's preaching. They chose the gratification of flesh rather than the righteousness of God, and reaped the severity of His wrath.

And yet, in judgment, we still see the beauty of God. Who can deny the perfection of a snowflake or the beauty of a snow-covered landscape? Paintings and poems over the ages have tried to describe its ethereal beauty but fall short of what God has freely given us.

It makes me wonder about the personality of God. The Bible describes His righteousness in stark and sometimes frightening terms, but it also gives us a glimpse at a love whose depth is unfathomable. How inadequate is the mind of Man to grasp what God is really like! How can we understand the contrast of His love and judgment which emanate from His incomprehensible holiness?

The Bible tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork, and when I look into the evening sky, I am overwhelmed by the vastness of His intelligence and creation. And as David so aptly wrote, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?"

Only in Eternity will we begin to be able to grasp His glory.

But for now, it is snowing outside. The yard and porch are covered with a cushion of snow, and the trees are all wearing a slender sleeve of white on their dark branches. The air is filled with softly descending snowflakes giving the scene a wonderful feeling of peace. I marvel at how in judgment He has placed such beauty.

I see a glimpse in this contrast a picture of Calvary.

In God's greatest judgment, He has shown us His greatest love.

Brother Dale, http://RevivalFire.org