When I was a wee little boy of 7 or 8, my parents took my brother, sister, and I to see an exciting full-color movie from Disney: Bambi. Do you still remember that classic children’s story? If you don’t, perhaps you should check it out of your local library this weekend. There are some lessons in the story-line for all ages.
Nevertheless, I recall a catchy little tune all those friendly woodland animals danced to called, “April Showers.” Ha! Now you’re starting to remember it too. The trouble is I don’t recollect SNOW showers being a part of those April showers. As I type these words to you, I see soft, white flakes dancing and fluttering to the ground with steady persistence.
Undoubtedly, the deer, rabbits, and skunks are probably running for cover…burrowing into the warmth of a hollowed out tree trunk deep in the forest. Some of you are probably ready to burrow under a blanket just thinking about it. But as Jesus reminded His followers in His sermon on the mount, God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matt. 5:45b), God also sends snow on the baptists, presbyterians, and everyone else, too.
Every rain drop, every crazy mid-April snowflake is of God’s design and timing. Really. God pours out common grace through the sun to warm the earth and rain to water the ground for those who are faithful and those who are faithless. Common grace is that unbelievable mercy and kindness of God that no one deserves or earns, but that which God joyfully gives to all the people He has made.
He pours out the good things of sun, rain, and dare I say… snow, on all humanity. Yet all of His common grace is aimed toward directing us to His saving grace in Jesus Christ.
Humans look up at God’s amazing orchestration in weather patterns, eco-systems, genetics, and astro-physics, and cry out, “Who or what arranged all of this?” Many choose to shake their fists, wonder, and yet walk away in disbelief. But God still continues to show them common grace. Still others observe and see, and in all the seemingly mundane, behold the glory of God in….
…the periodic table of the elements.
…the fact that Pi is not only a mathematical formula discovered 360 years ago, but is now showing up as “a formula which approximates the energy levels of a hydrogen atom.”
…the healing of a deep wound on the human body.
…the balance of weather seasons.
…the birth of a newborn baby.
In every aspect about earth, God is showing Himself as Sovereign-Creator. God juxtaposed His sovereignty with our smallness when He asked Job:
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of war and battle? Where is the way that the light is divided, or the east wind scattered on the earth?” (Job 38:22-24)
God is completely in control. He never loses His grip on the steering wheel. He never drops His conductor’s baton. Those who look for the mark of His craftsmanship will find His handiwork everywhere.
Yet in all of this, our God directs us through the snow and wind and Pi to His offer of redemption in the Son. The disbelieving heart of humanity is without excuse. So the apostle Paul wrote:
“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:20)
Here’s the glorious song of the gospel: In the Son, God is showing Himself as Sovereign-Savior. The God who sends the rain and snow is not only the Creator but also the Savior. So if you are redeemed through faith in the work of grace in Jesus Christ, let these April showers… of snow cause you to praise God for saving your soul, as the flakes remind you that He is sovereign and in total control. But don’t worry, you can still burrow under a blanket while doing so.
In Christ Alone,
