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In the Midwest snow is a common part of life, yet have you ever paused to consider, “What is the purpose of snow?”

In my morning Bible reading, I read Job 37:6-13. “For to the snow he says, ‘Fall to earth….’ He causes everyone to stop working, so that all people may know his work … Whether it is for punishment, or for his land, or for mercy, he causes it to find its mark.” These verses tell us a lot about the biography of a snowflake.

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of snow? According to Job 37, one of the purposes of snow is to help busy men stop and consider the power of God. The power of God is shown through the collective accumulation of minuscule, frozen water particles. Under the right conditions, these teeny tiny flakes can even stop my 6,000 pound vehicle, and I am left with the opportunity to consider a God that is more powerful than I. Verse 13 also gives the dual purpose that God can curse and bless humanity through snow. The same snow that blesses a farmer can also stop a dictator’s army. You can ask Napoleon or Hitler how humbling snow can be.) Snow can remind all of us that God is more powerful than any of us.

Have you ever wondered about the destination of snow? Have you ever watched a snowflake slowly meander back and forth and wondered where it was going to land? God has never wondered where a snowflake would land. From our perspective a snowflake can seem random, but like a champion archer, God has directed every flake to find its mark. Every flake lands exactly where God commanded it whether the slow drifter or the wind-swept flake, everyone finds its mark. Snow can remind us that God has a plan and destination for all things. Because of snow’s destination, for some that destination might be Florida or Arizona.

Have you ever wondered about the source of a snowflake? In Job 38:22 we read “Have you entered the storehouse of snow, or seen the armory of the hail?” God stores the billions of tons of snow held in one blizzard in clouds that are light enough to float in the air. (If you want to do the math it might be helpful to know that one cubic centimeter of snow weighs one gram.) Snow reminds us that everything is supported by God and comes from the Source of all things.

These verses in Job take place in the context of Job being reminded that God is in control of the big things in life because He has command of the little things as well. I hope that as you consider the purpose of snow, the destination of snow, and the source of each snowflake that you would consider God’s purpose for your life and realize, He has a plan.