The snow has slumped in on itself, like a tired mom at the end of an exhausting day. Every drift is smaller than it used to be, every ridge rounder. Near tree trunks I see how much the snow has settled and at the edges of the road I see wet smudges and tiny puddles where the sun has coaxed the snow to melt.
Although the fields are still white and our fingers still tingle in the cold, spring is coming. The other day we heard thunder, even though there was a freezing rain warning in the morning and a blowing snow warning in the evening. Yes, warm weather is coming.
But it is not yet here, and that made me think.
As we look at our own lives, at society, and at the suffering of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, we could be overwhelmed with negativity and fear. But God says to not to be anxious about anything. He even tells us to rejoice. Why? Because he is near. (Philippians 4:4-8)
It’s not only that he, like the spring, is coming soon, but also that he is already ‘near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.’ Ps 145:18
Even in this mess we live in, he is near. Even in horrors and persecutions, fellow Christians testify, he is near. Already it is true that
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
We do not need to wait for the future, when God will wipe away all tears, to be close to him and find comfort with him.
Throughout the Psalms, indeed throughout the entire Bible, we read over and over again of God’s loving care. As we get to know God better, both who he is and what he has done, we are able to trust him more and more. Why? Because then we realize just how faithful and caring he is.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10
Snow is falling outside even now, but spring is coming. We know that, and it makes us happy.
This is still a broken world, and there seems to be more heartrending sadness every day. But, unlike the spring that we need to wait for, God is already with us now, despite and even in the brokenness.
That is something to hold on to. God is with us, through Jesus whose name, Immanuel, actually ‘means God with us’.
As warm weather returns to your part of the world, let it be a reminder to think about these things.
May our dear heavenly Father hold onto us and remind us of this when we are tempted to rely on something or someone other than him. Amen.
