Silence In The Snow

by

Meriam Matthews

January 29^th, 2010 

Nothing sounds like the eerie, supernatural silence after a snowfall. When it stops falling from the boundless heavens, step outside your walls and you will experience the Godly peace that only happens rarely in the lives of those who live snowless. If you listen closely, though, you can hear something. No motors move, no engines hum, no birds sing, no voices are heard. But there is a voice in the silence. In the rising and falling of your own breath, you can hear God breathing. 

The sweet soundlessness carries a special grace God seems to reserve for special occasions. Painting the world white and soft, quieting your spirit that the Spirit may be heard, in the snowy silence, God offers a hint of heaven He told us about when He said, "…there will be silence in heaven for about half an hour." The silence in the snow is the sound of the soul at peace. It is what we never hear, awake or asleep.  If God sleeps, this is what it must sound like.

Step outside and breathe in as God breathes out. It is sacred pure air. Hear the birds reverently quiet, listen to snowflakes dance, see the plush blanket of softness that comforts your world, listen to the sound of fallen snow. Listen to God breathing.

Every now and then, in the silence in the snow, God says, "I love you, child".  Record the moment deep inside you, for you will wait a long time to hear this again, if ever. 

Step outside and listen. Breathe in the gift and let it become the part of you that God chose this moment for.  Let your gratitude overflow for the music of the universe, the flawless artistry of God's hands and the peace of the soul at rest, all coming together in the silence in the snow.

Lord, how gracious, how generous, how kind you are to give us respite from the world, to let us into Your snow-silent heaven for just a moment.