Let us acknowledge the LORD;
Hosea 6:3
let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises,
he will appear;
he will come to us like the winter rains,
like the spring rains that water the earth.
Though your sins are like scarlet,
Isaiah 1:18
they shall be as white as snow
If you’ve been following the weather in Israel lately, this past week has been quite something! Heavy rains have deluged the country. For years Israel has been in need of some good rain. The Sea of Galilee, a primary water source, has been slowly getting lower and lower every year. However, in the last week it has risen an amazing 30 inches with about 20 inches more expected as its saturated inlets pour more into it in the coming days. Bless God for his provision!
Topping it off, Jerusalem received a heavy snowfall Wednesday night/Thursday morning, blanketing the city with several inches of the white stuff. The city shut down Thursday morning as they waited for it to melt. I wonder how many times Isaiah the prophet saw Jerusalem covered in snow like this. Just as Jerusalem has been blanketed in gleaming, white snow, God can blanket us with his love and forgiveness.
I previously mentioned the Hinnom Valley provides the etymology behind the term Gehenna (a term associated with hell). As you can see below, even that valley has frozen over!
(Special thanks to Jerusalem University College, where I attended while in Israel, for posting these pictures on their Facebook page)