A Lesson from Mt. Washington

Mount Washington and Suttle Lake (courtesy of wikipedia.org)

---

 One of the advantages of living in Lyons, is that the tourist town of Sisters is only about an hour and a half drive over the scenic Santiam Pass. As Karen and I crested the summit of the pass and headed down the eastern slopes of the Cascades, we looked across Suttle Lake to the south and to Mount Washington beyond. Even at the end of July, you will still find traces of snow gracing its steep, rugged sides. After we checked into our motel room, I was relaxing by watching some reels on Facebook. In one that came across the feed, a guy was talking about the dams on the Columbia River comes from spring snow melting off the Cascade Mountains.

   As I was listening to the brief video, I wondered what the Bible had to say about snow. Pulling out my phone, I did a quick search in a Bible app and came across the following passage. "He [the Lord] gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; Who can stand before His cold? He sends forth His word and melts them; He cause His wind to blow and the waters to flow (Psalm 147:16-18)."  The focus of Psalm 147 is the Lord's provision for His people Israel. The psalmist writes of who He "heals the brokenhearted" and "supports the afflicted." The Lord "...covers the heavens with clouds, ...provides rain for the earth, [and]...makes the grass to grow on the mountains (v. 8). For all of the Lord's provisions for His people, the psalmist calls the people to "praise the Lord."

   Perhaps you are in a season of life where things feel barren and parched like the side of a mountain in the heat of the summer. Things are just hard and harsh. You are working hard and faithfully at the tasks that God has placed before you, but you seem to be seeing about as much success as trying to crawl up the rocky slopes of Mt. Washington. In those moments of discouragement and despair, let me encourage you to look up to the mountains. Examine the remnants of snow on the peaks. In doing so, remember that the same God who causes the snow to form in the winter so that we will have water in the summer is the God who is taking care of you. Let's learn from Psalm 147 and take time this week to praise God for His abundant provision.