Devotional 2-22-10

Devotional -- Written on a Snow Day

"For he directs the snow, the showers, and storm to fall upon the earth. Man's work stops at such a time, so that all men everywhere may recognize his power." --Job 37:6

It's February, it's Lent, but a Christmas hymn is running through my brain: In the Bleak Midwinter. You recall the words from the first verse:

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow............

It's only midwinter, but I'm sure sick of it. I decided to check out the word "snow" in my Bible thesaurus and found the scripture quoted above as well as this one from Psalm 147: 16-18:

"He sends the snow in all its lovely whiteness, and scatters the frost upon the ground, and hurls the hail upon the earth. Who can stand before his freezing cold? But then he calls for warmer weather, and the spring winds blow and all the river ice is broken."

I also looked up some information on the British poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) who wrote In the Bleak Midwinter. Here's another inspirational poem of hers:

Lord, Purge Our Eyes to See
Lord, purge our eyes to see
Within the seed
a tree,
Within the glowing egg,
a bird,
Within the shroud,
a butterfly.
Till, taught by such we see,
Beyond all creatures,
Thee.

The snow won't last forever. While inconvenient, it has a certain lovely quality. Spring will come. We know it will.

This prayer was written by Christina Rossetti:O Lord Jesus Christ, who is like the shadow of a great rock in a weary land, you see your weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of hope deferred, weary of self. In your abundant compassion and fellow feeling with us, and with your unspeakable tenderness, bring us, we pray, to your rest. Amen.

Anita Gardner Farrell