In my post-holiday clean-up this year, I removed the Christmas flag from our garden post and replaced it with one that said, “Let it Snow.” Being an unseasonably warm day, I had no idea my flag replacement was somewhat prophetic! Ha!
Early in the morning on January 31, 2026, the “prophecy” was fulfilled! It snowed! This was not just a dusting that shuts down southern cities- this was the real-deal, six/seven inches of snow! (I’m not making a reference to Lemello!)
Being such a rarity in our southern neck of the woods, of course it sent me into a blizzard of snowy thoughts.
I started thinking of some Scriptures pertaining to snow (did you know it’s mentioned at least 20 times?!), and especially gave special consideration to Isaiah 1:18:
“Come, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are crimson red, they will be like wool.”
Unlike my garden flag posted in the ground, hung with a little wishful thinking, Isaiah was an actual prophet, speaking the words of God to the people He loved. 7 centuries had gone by since He led them into the promised land, and sadly, their “worship” of Him had become, well, mechanical. Ritual. Insincere. (see 1:11-15)
Ooh, how easily we can drift into this sort of “worship.”
God had some strong things to say about this!
After a recap of how far God’s people had strayed in the first half of Isaiah 1, He doesn’t say, “Away with you people! I’m done!”
He doesn’t say “go.”
He says, “come…”
It’s such a welcome, arms-stretched-wide invitation for His people to make a u-turn back to Him.
Do you know that God never quits extending that invitation to you and me, too?
Look back at the verse: “Though your sins are scarlet…crimson red…” God’s people were more familiar with the color of crimson than the biggest Alabama fan. Just think of the regular, daily exposure to blood they had in offering sacrifices or in food preparation.
They were certainly familiar with its color… but even more, its stain.
Have you ever tried to remove a blood stain from a white shirt? Removing the stain of blood requires effort combined with oxyclean, bleach, or a good phels-naptha bar (thank you Juli!).
And the thing is, in our own ability, we can’t present ourselves in clean garments. Visualize a purely crimson-stained shirt. That’s what we come to God with because of our sin.
It’s easy to deceive ourselves into thinking, “I’m not that bad…” or “I come with a white shirt and a little stain…” No, God sees even those tucked away, deep-in-the-recesses-of-our-heart spaces that no one can see. Sometimes we ourselves can’t even see them! Sins of pride, materialism, covetousness… none of it is hidden from His sight. No one is immune to them.
Even just one of these clothes us with not just a little blotch of a stain, but a garment fully stained in contrast to His snow-white purity.
Look at how snow is used as a visual to help us understand the holiness of God Himself.
As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. (Daniel 7:9)
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. (Matt. 28:3)
The hair of his head was white as wool — white as snow — and his eyes like a fiery flame. (Revelation 1:14)
Clothed in that scarlet sin, God graciously extends the invitation to come, with that sin, and says, “they will be as white as snow,” like the garments of our Lord! His robes for mine!
God’s snowy invitation is to come, with those stains, with those blemishes, with the impurity, and He will do His cleansing work, making us white as snow. The first step is simply to come… and let Him do the work that only He can do.
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