"Come now, let us reason together," 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" (Isaiah 1:18).
February weather is tricky in North Carolina. Balmy breezes give no indication that bitter arctic winds are riding their trade winds like a high flying kite and its tether. Before we knew it our yard was covered with 12" of ice and snow sealing us inside our house. We would have been trapped until it thawed had it not been for one door, our front door, that was only lightly glazed. Don't we often feel that way about our sins? The storm brews but we ignore it until we are buried under a suffocating pile with only one way out.
Wrapped up in our warmest winter clothes, my husband and I ventured out into the winter wonderland that beset our neighborhood. Although it was Valentine's Day that week it looked like Christmas! Reveling in the sounds of crunching snow beneath our boots as snowflakes cascaded from the heavens above us, we were more aware of the beauty of God's creation than we'd been in days past. Joyful noises filled the air as children raced down front yard hills on slides or decorated snowmen with their parents. Hearts were lite and the world was at play as if we'd never seen snow before. A mini winter vacation courtesy of God.
With the sun setting and the full moon rising the snow looked like a diamond mine beneath the amber street lamps. The normally dirty and barren earth of winter was covered in a pure white sparkling blanket. The Lord's glory revealed in nature for all to see, but how many people complained about the weather and missed the beauty in the silent moments rather than embracing it, I wondered. So often this is how we treat God. We rage at Him when trials come especially if they are the product of our sinful lifestyles. We want blue skies, perfect days every day, and shut out God's light that brightens the darkest heart.
There is only one way out of the frozen tundra of sin that saves us from an eternal life of despair in hell. A door to the Father in heaven that is open through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great lover of our souls, better than any Valentine on earth! He hates sin--it separates us from the Father--and cost Jesus His life on the Cross. Ask Him to forgive you and to make His home forever in your heart. His Holy Spirit will guide you as you humbly seek Him in prayer. He'll make your soul diamond white--the only color God sees after the blood of Jesus has washed you clean. "Come now, let us reason together," 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" (Isaiah 1:18).
Your fellow herald for Jesus,
Mary
