It was a long winter. The days were short and the nights were long. Joy is hard to hold on to in times like that. The sun was afraid to come out, as if Punxsutawney Phil had sent it into exile. But winter is gone. I hope it never comes again. This particular Sunday morning the sun was out, it was foggy, and we were on our way to church.
Perhaps it’s the grace of God in my life, but I often am struck by the beauty of creation most on my drive to church. The air seems thick with his goodness and glory. This particular morning, the fog in the Tennessee hills slowly fading before the light of the sun was breathtaking.
Isaiah 44:22 uses this imagery to describe our redemption. “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.”
Driving to church that Sunday morning I was a living parable of the salvation of the Lord. As the fog slowly dissipated and the sun rose higher and grew warmer in the March sky, I saw before my eyes the clouds fading and the sun clearing my path. That’s a picture of what has happened in my life. The Son of righteousness shines, and before his great light not one of my sins are visible because he has burned them all away – forever.
Because of my sin, I deserve endless winter, but winter is gone. Spring has come. This is grace – whole, free, pure, effective, endless, matchless, beautiful.