February 9, 2007
I like snow… a lot! In addition to being an occasional burst of visual glory in the passing of seasons here in the Ohio Valley, I enjoy the simple pleasures it brings. The snowfall of a few weeks ago, for instance, provided a very rare occasion for my wife and me to slow down enough to build a snowman with our children (there’s still a round lump of snow left over from that enterprise). I didn’t even mind shoveling the snow of this most recent snowstorm as the activity allowed me a little bit of invaluable time to just think.
On the other hand, a very heavy snowfall that blocks roadways and paralyzes communities, reminds me a great deal of those things that can move into our lives and threaten our spiritual pilgrimage. Like snow, when enough cares and worries blow into our lives, we can find ourselves smothering in stresses, problems, and responsibilities. Perhaps snow is a bit like the “thorns” mentioned in Matthew 13 (it’s a different metaphor but the same principle).
“… A farmer went out to sow his seed…. (Some) fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants…. The one who received the ‘seed’ (the Word of God) that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the Word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:3b, 7, 22 NIV).
Let’s be honest. A life of faith isn’t too hard when things are just the way we want them to be. When things roll along neatly and as we’ve planned, then we can talk about God and faith with relative ease. On the other hand, when woes and struggles pour down upon us out of the proverbial sky (not to mention those everyday little glitches that cumulatively can wear us out), it can get harder to see the practicality of faith and even harder to see the signature of God in our circumstances.
Nonetheless, even more sure than the road’s presence under the drifting snow of a winter storm, is the presence of our God and heavenly Father. Perhaps the activity of God in your life is a bit obscured under a blanket of difficulties, but take heart in knowing that faith can only really be worked out and refined in you through such storms. And after all, of all the things that are perhaps being divinely cultivated in your life, faith is the most prized of all. “…Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).
What can we do to avoid getting buried alive by blizzards of trials and tribulations? Just as one might go out with a snow shovel in hand to do what he or she can to keep clear the sidewalk of one’s home, although still relying on help to clear the main roads, we also work to keep the paths of our lives open so that we can still connect with God and can still channel our energies in seeking Him, knowing that real connection with Him takes a power greater than our own. Making prayer and Bible study a daily habit, not to mention regular participation in Christian fellowship and in corporate worship, are critical steps that we take in keeping the paths clear. If you make it your business to reach out to God, He makes it His business to make sure that real avenues of spiritual power and blessing are kept open by which His Holy Spirit will minister to you.
“When the Counselor (God’s Holy Spirit) comes, Whom I (Jesus) will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me…. … When He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is Mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is Mine and make it known to you” (John 15:26, 16:13-15 NIV).
What can we do so that we don’t become hopelessly blinded by a “white out” of woe? For starters, don’t wait until storms are upon you to start getting familiar with the ways of God. It’s a lot easier to walk a path when it’s buried under concealing snow drifts if you have gotten to know it before hit by furious flurries of problems or temptations.
On the other hand, maybe you’re already in the clutches of such a storm. Instead of slipping into a mode of denial and thereby missing God’s blessings in your life, take the step of reaching out to Him and see that He’s as good as the Bible says He is.
“‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (Hebrews 4:6b-10 NIV).
And while I realize that folks generally take offense at being called “sinner”, keep in mind that it refers to all humanity (including me) and uses the term in an appeal for each of us to just come clean with God, and cast ourselves upon His grace so that He can “clear the roads” ahead of us for a journey in knowing what it truly means to be loved and lifted up.
(Thom Mollohan and his family have ministered in southern Ohio the past eleven years. He is the pastor of Pathway Community Church, which meets on Sunday mornings at the Ariel Theatre. He may be reached for comments or questions by email at pastorthom@pathwaygallipolis.com).
