When we lived in the North, anytime between November and April, there were times when the sky would show the promise of snow. The blue ceiling above would turn a blue grey, and the air held a certain type of cold that just 'felt' like snow was coming. There was a silence in the air, regardless of the earthly din. If you listened, you knew. We'd look for it, we'd wait with anticipation for the first flakes to fall. It didn't matter what the weather channel told us, with all of their hype and their colorful maps. We knew it would come by the signs in the weather.Being a native Northerner who now lives in the South, I miss the snow. While I lived on Long Island, our snow falls were rarely more than a few inches, but occasionally we'd get a doozie. Whatever it was, though, even with the inconveniences I knew would come with it, I looked forward to the coming of the white stuff. I looked forward, too, to measuring it to see just how the snow compared to the predictions. I liked to prove them wrong!
As the first flakes would fall, like feathers from the heavens, I'd diligently stand at the window and watch. When the snow began to stick to the ground, there was a newness to all it touched. The entirety of the world immediately around me would be blanketed in white, and as its cover expanded, it had added beauty to the familiar scenery. There is nothing like fresh snow to give you a sense of what 'purity' looks like. It sparkles in the light, it gleams with a glitter. There's no other example quite like it.
David, the Psalmist, wrote (Ps 51:7) 'Cleanse me with hyssop and I shall be whiter than snow." He cried out to the Lord in repentance of his great sin of adultery and murder. He cried for renewal of his soul. He used 'whiter than snow' as an example of how pure he would become, once the Lord God cleansed him.
Some people doubt the coming of Christ to a waiting soul. They overlook the signs of the Promise. Make no mistake! Prove the predictions wrong! Show the doubters that when Jesus cleanses your life, there is no washing that can compare. The internal grime of a heart lived in sin is renewed..POWER washed, and the soul is blanketed by the blood of Christ. When the Father looks upon us then, He sees the sparkling of His Son's covering upon us! What a miracle!
But, be aware, that just as the snowfall can melt away from the earth, showing the dirt beneath it once more, so can we make the choice to return to the filth we came from. It is our choice whether or not we live in purity... by praying, by knowing God's Word and by obedience to it. Let us continually measure ourselves against what God is teaching us in His word. Let us be mindful to remain clothed in His righteousness. As we watch and wait with anticipation for the second coming of Jesus, let us be found sparkling, pure, and whiter than snow.
