By Mitch Glover
We’re in the slippery time of the year. I hope you have good tires on your vehicle, cleats to strap on your shoes, and ice melt or sand (or both) for your walkway. Conditions requiring those items are here for the next five months or so.
My grandpa walked to the store in our little town for his groceries. When the conditions were too slippery for him to walk, he stayed home. “Too slippey,” he said.
Scriptures don’t mention snow and ice very much. Benaiah, one of David’s mighty men, chased a lion into a pit on a snowy day. He probably did some slipping and sliding then. I imagine two sets of tracks going into the pit and one set coming out.
Snow is compared to cleansing following repentance. David prayed, “Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7, NLT).
David wrote many songs of praise and prayer. He expressed longing for God’s intervention and he celebrated victories. His song after a particular divine deliverance is recorded in both Psalm 18 and 2 Samuel 22. David rejoiced that God helped him and that his “feet did not slip.”
David prayed in Psalm 17:5, “that my footsteps slip not.” He wasn’t necessarily referring to slipping on ice or snow, but to staying on the paths that God led him to.
David was confident that God will be with those who choose to follow him. Those who “made God’s law their own…will never slip from his path” (Psalm 37:31 NLT).
Snow and ice can also be shiny. Natives in the north long ago knew how to minimize the glare with snow goggles. This unique invention kept the hunters from developing snow blindness, a debilitating and dangerous condition. Snow goggles may have come in handy for the disciples of Jesus a few times.
When Jesus was on a mountain with his disciples, he was transfigured by the glory of God shining through him. Mark wrote, “And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow…” Other supernatural events at that time stayed with Peter, James, and John.
John was the last apostle of the original twelve. He wrote what is called, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” He was on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote that book. It wasn’t a resort in the Mediterranean. It was a prison operated by the Roman Empire. In those dreary circumstances, John wrote the things revealed to him. Perhaps he was able to continue writing because of the first revelation he experienced during that time. He heard a great voice, like a trumpet. He turned and saw Jesus. John’s description was, “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow…his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” John fell at his feet but Jesus touched him and said, “Fear not…”
Don’t let fear make you slip from faith. Hold on to the hope of seeing Jesus. Keep your faith focused on him. Believe and obey his word. Like the psalmist, ask the Lord to “cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved” (Psalm 80:3,7,19). Providing salvation is where he really shines.
Mitch Glover pastors the Sterling Pentecostal Church. Sunday Bible class at 10 a.m. and worship at 11 a.m. are live-streamed on Facebook as well as the Thursday Bible study at 7 p.m. Visit the services and sterlingpentecostalchurch.com.
