Snow

Those who know me will tell you that I love snow. Whether watching it fall, walking in it, or talking about it,, its my favourite weather.....but sadly no longer building with it (Apparently I’m to be mature these days). Seeing the snow that has fallen over the last few days, and hearing all about the vast amounts we expect (and I’m hoping for) tomorrow, has made me think about well known mentions of snow. 

Snow in the bible usually speaks of purity. God more often than not uses ordinary, everyday objects to describe heavenly truths. For example, the bread and wine were used to speak of His body and blood, or the vine and branches to speak of a Christian's relationship to Jesus. Why has He chosen to do this? Well, how could my poor, simple, finite mind possibly understand the perfect things of God and heaven? Obviously it can’t. So God allows me to grasp something about Himself through the things I know and can comprehend. In Dan 7:9, God reveals Himself in the following way: “I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire;” 
Using our own knowledge of how white snow is (Probably the whitest thing we can imagine), we can grasp just how perfectly white and pure God’s robes were. We then understand that the God we want to know, and our saviour we have trusted in, are clothed with absolute perfection. If God was anything other than perfect, He wouldn't be God! The idea of perfection described by snow is also seen in Matt 28:3 (Speaks of an angel), Mark 9:3 (Jesus on the mount of transfiguration) and Rev 1:14 (the vision of the Son of Man). 
When I wake up in the morning and see a covering of snow, it makes the whole place look perfect. There could be mud, rubbish, waste or any other unpleasant sight there normally, but when snow has fallen and covered it, it makes it all look pure. God knows our faults. He is well aware of our sinful, shame filled lives. And yet He sends out the initiation “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) What a promise God makes to such undeserving people! Despite the fact God sees our sins, He is willing to remove them and make us perfect in His sight. He will never force us to be made clean, never force His salvation upon us. But by His grace, and because of His love, He offers. Have you confidence that when God sees you, he sees you as “White as snow”? I have. But I only have it because of my once, for all time decision to trust the Lord Jesus Christ, and to repent (have a change of heart and direction) of the sinful life I was living. I am not perfect, but praise God that when He looks at me, He no longer sees my sin, but sees me in Christ Jesus!

Those of us who have become Christians know that just because we are forgiven by God, we don’t have the ability to live without faults and failings. We all continue to sin. Even from the moment we are saved, we get distracted, tempted, dragged away and turned from living as God would want. King David, who was once described as “A man after God’s own heart”, sinned. He committed adultery when he slept with another man’s wife, and then to cover his sin, he organised a situation for her husband to be slain in battle. (The whole story is found in 2 Sam 11) King David eventually had his sinful acts revealed to him. Not that he didn't know what he’d done, but God eventually showed David that HE knew, that He’d seen it all take place. David, in a very personal prayer to God (Psalm 51) prays “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” 

David knew that any sin in his life would affect his relationship with God. He knew that only God could forgive him and correct the situation. God, knowing our continued failure has said through John “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) 

Have I sinned today? Has it made my relationship with God awkward, knowing that I've done it in His sight? God graciously promises (and He cant lie remember!), that if I choose to confess my sin to Him, he’ll renew our relationship, and bring me back into His blessings. An old preacher used to encourage us to “Keep short accounts with God”. To not let sin settle in our lives, and affect our walk with the Lord Jesus. So when the snow falls this week, remember that God can, and maybe has already made your sins as white as snow in His sight. To be seen as perfect and pure, because His own son died to pay the price for our sin, is a wonderful thing. One which we should treasure.

Yours in Him

Dan

You can now follow and share this post/ blog much easier with the options down the right hand side of this page. God bless.