Snow day: 1-11-2025. As a child, there were no better two words that someone could speak. I am sitting at my kitchen table, enjoying a cup of coffee, looking at all the white stuff on the ground. School has been canceled in our city, and I just finished going through the corresponding things that need to be canceled or moved in church life. And with that, I should be back in bed… sleeping in. That is the route the kids and my wife have chosen.

But snow days are exciting. As a child, I remember staying up late or waking up dreadfully early to see if school had been canceled. Before the internet and the smartphone, one had to turn on the local news to see if their school had been called off. The long banner across the bottom listed all the schools, daycares, and churches that were not open today. It is an impromptu holiday.

Even as I write this, it is hard to focus, my eye keeps getting pulled to the window. There is just nothing like snow outside. I don’t want to see it while driving but looking at it in my yard is entirely different. Covering the tree branches and rooftops like frosting on a cake.

The Bible does not mention snow very often. When we think of Bible stories in the Holy Land, at least for me, the image of a dry, hot Mediterranean desert seems always to be the backdrop. But it does snow in Israel, mainly in certain parts of the country. It is nothing like Ohio; it is more like the random times it hits states like Georgia.

When snow is mentioned, powerful ideas surround it.

1. On a Snow Day, know that God is in control. In the book of Job, the author uses the idea of snow to communicate God’s power and wonder. In chapter 37, Job is encouraged to “stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God” (v. 14). Snow days make us stop. Our routines are disrupted, and often, we are graced with a pause. Today, I will stop and reflect on what God might want to teach me in the snowfall. Verses 6-7 reveal, “He directs the snow to fall on the earth…. Everyone stops working at such a time so they can recognize his power.” NLT The next chapter in Job picks up on this idea. Job has spent much of the book debating the problem of evil and why bad things happen to us. God eventually shows up to answer Job’s questions. The chapter paints the picture of God’s heavenly storehouses of snow. Job 38:22 asks, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail?” Again, the suggestion here is that whatever you are worried about today, none of it, including the snow, happened without being in God’s control.

2. On a Snow Day, know that you are forgiven. What happens when we are forgiven? We are cleansed…white as snow. Isaiah 1:18 ESV says, “Come now, 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 become like wool.” Psalm 51:7 reads, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Everything looks clean, quiet, and calm when I see the snow. Soon enough, the neighborhood will erupt with snowblowers and plow trucks. For just a moment, think about everything you have done—everything recently, everything period—all of it being covered and cleansed, like snow covering the hillside.

3. On a Snow Day, think of seeing Jesus. Think about seeing or meeting Jesus at the end of our earthly lives. This might not sound exciting for some, but for the believer or the follower, this is the day we all look forward to. Often, the depiction of Christ's return is coupled with snow. Like a child wants a snow day when they are little, I want to see Christ. It will be the greatest snow day of all. • His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.” Matthew 28:3 • “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.” Daniel 7:9 • “The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire,” Revelation 1:14 One day, we will have a snow day like no other. It will disrupt us and be beautiful all at once. If you long for the beauty of a snowy day like I do, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Prayer: Oh Lord, we thank you for the snow today. You control all your creation, me, church, and every little thing that will happen in my day-to-day and over everything in your world. Everything that happens today and everything that was canceled is in your control. You, Lord, balance the storehouses of snow with wonderful perfection and skill. We stand in awe. Please help me to continue to recognize you in your creation and as you work in my life today. Thank you for the forgiveness you granted me and how it cleaned my life. We live in today, but we long to see you as well.