A Holy Reminder in the Snow – Thoughts From the Edges –

A Holy Reminder in the Snow

Daily Devotional – Pastor Calvin Cook

December 11, 2025

Scripture: “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet,    they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.19 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel,    you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 1:18-20

Winter returned again with its quiet, steady blanket of snow. For many of us, who live in this region of the world snow is simply a normal part of life. Regardless of if we love it or hate it, we have to deal with it. We can ignore it or we can shovel it, plow it, sweep it off the porch, and try to stay warm while it falls. Yet perhaps the very reason snow is so common in our region is because God intends it to be a continual reminder to be drawn closer to God’s saving grace, forgiveness, and redemption.  Snow if we look at scripture becomes a reminder of His presence and His promises.

Snow has a way of transforming everything it touches. The messy yard, the muddy fields, the leafless trees—all of it becomes covered in clean brightness. In a moment, the ordinary becomes beautiful. And in Isaiah 1:18, God uses this image intentionally: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” A stained life can be cleansed. A weary spirit can be renewed. What we believe is too broken for God can be made whole again.

David echoes this in his prayer of repentance: “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”—Psalm 51:7

David had failed, fallen, and wandered far from God’s heart, yet he believed in God’s ability to restore. Snow reminded him that just as the earth can be renewed overnight, so can a soul be humbled before the Lord.

What if we looked at snow as not this big life changing event. Where we live, we know it is going to happen. Snow is not random. It is not accidental. What if we looked at it as being released by the hand of God as a reminder with a purpose. That might mean the snow that falls outside your window today has purpose—whether to water the earth, quiet the world, or settle our anxious souls. I remember as a kid praying for snow, so school would be canceled and we could play outside in the snow. Remember those days !

Snow invites us to slow down. It muffles the noise. It simplifies the landscape. It creates space to reflect. And as we look out upon a world turned white, we are gently reminded that God is still doing this in us—quieting our spirits, covering our regrets, washing away the stains of yesterday, and giving us a clean beginning.

So today, as you see snow on the ground or watch it fall from the sky, receive it as a message from the Lord: I can make all things new. I can wash, restore, and renew. My grace covers you completely.

May every snowfall this winter be a reminder that God has not forgotten you, He is not finished with you, and His mercy is still falling fresh every morning—pure, steady, and white as snow.

Just a note – I still complain about snow. I don’t like winter. But I love the lesson that God taught through this snow. Evidently it is a message that the Holy Spirit has been trying to teach me for many years. I was going through some old sermons recently and found a sermon I preached in January of 2010 at Grace and First Avenue Methodist Churches in Hyndman PA. I have used some of the reflections from that sermon for this devotional.