Messages of Snow
3. Peace and Quiet
O'er white expanses sparkling pure
The radiant morns unfold;
The solemn splendors of the night
Burn brighter through the cold;
Life mounts in every throbbing vein,
Love deepens round the hearths,
And clearer sounds the angel hymn,
"Good will to men on earth."
Frances Whitmarsh Wile, 1912
Reading: Isaiah 32:16-20
“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”
The American poet, James Russell Lowell, wrote:
"The snow had begun in the gloaming,
And busily all the night
had been heaping field and highway
With a silence deep and white."
One of the messages of snow is the value of silence. No other element of the weather comes so quietly. Often when we wake in the morning, we are surprised to discover that it has snowed all night.
A big snow makes everything quieter. Traffic is stilled. Even footsteps are silenced. People "abide in their secure houses," enjoying a time of quiet rest.
Life sometimes brings a figurative snowfall when our usual activity is silenced, and we become dependent on God for peaceful and secure rest. Circumstances force us to stop because we cannot always maintain a hectic and stressful pace of life.
Isaiah saw peace and quiet as good gifts of God. They are symbolic of a time when the struggles and hardships of life are put aside. Perhaps we need to hear the message of the silent snow - relax, rest, enjoy. This is God's gift for us.