The Snow and the Word
As the … snow come(s) down from heaven, and do(es) not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:10-11
To everything there is a time and place. The whole gamut of experiences of life are allowed by the Heavenly Father who knows us intimately, knows what we can endure, what we need, what we truly long for. Many events in life that seem unpleasant at the moment reap tremendous rewards later on, in fact, they may even be essential parts of life, such as rain and snow.
We forever tend to be like the child who cried when rain forbid him to play ball outside, when the same rain was essential for the earth to have produce and for the boy to have food to eat. We tend to look at the short term loss instead of the long term benefit.
Isaiah wove an interesting tapestry in this metaphor of rain and snow and the Word of God. The rainy and snowy days might be unpleasant to experience but they result in the fields being filled with the essentials of life. Similarly reading or hearing the Word of God requires some amount of work, some dedication to the task, and though the joy and benefit the truth ultimately brings might not be experienced in that sitting, just wait a bit and we will find that it does truly bear fruit. God stakes His reputation on that fact.
And as mysterious as the coming of the snow and rain are to the average person, so the same can be said of the mystery of the work of God in our hearts through His Word. The Bible, always rich in metaphors, also compares the message of God to a seed, such as James wrote, “the word planted in you” (Jas. 1:21). The right verse arrives mysteriously to our minds, through events orchestrated by God, and it seems to lie dormant for a period, but it is actually germinating, beginning to do its work of softening our hearts and enlightening our minds until the day comes when the truth bursts forth in its glory and power.
If we remain in the Word of Christ, daily coming to Him for knowledge and wisdom, we will eventually experience the effect of these treasures of knowledge. If not immediately, then wait for it, for it will surely come.
Prayer:
Lord, teach us to listen to every word that proceeds from Your mouth, to lay hold of this knowledge and to grow in You grace. Amen.