How are you feeling about this first snowfall of the season? It has blanketed the ground and the trees in a beautiful covering. Sometimes we are not very enthusiastic about snow and the challenges of driving in the snow. Still, snow creates for us a picture that we see reflected in Scripture. It is a picture of forgiveness. We read in Isaiah 15:18,“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Our loving God extends to any of us this offer of forgiveness. We can come to him in prayer at any time and experience His powerful gift of forgiveness. The transformation that God’s forgiveness brings makes us as clean as the freshly fallen snow. Why would we hold back from coming freely to God and receiving the tremendous relief of His forgiveness?When we do receive God’s forgiveness, we are also compelled to extend forgiveness to others. What God has arranged for us to set us free, is a gift that we can also offer. I invite you to consider what in your life do you need to bring to God today for forgiveness? And as we are washed whiter than snow by God’s forgiveness, who does God bring to our awareness that we need to forgive? Perhaps there is something unresolved for some time that you need to bring to God to have settled with him. Perhaps God is bringing someone to mind that you could choose to forgive. God is always arranging opportunities for forgiveness, if we are willing. Our weekly WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER could be a time to settle something in your life that needs to be touched by God’s forgiveness. We will be sharing in our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow November 17th at 1 pm. The forgiveness that God is willing to provide for us and to initiate from us provides the possibility of new beginnings in our faith journey with Him. Please consider praying the prayer provided and accessing the possibility of being washed whiter than snow through God’s forgiveness.
Looking to God for His life changing, cleansing power of forgiveness, Pastor Lola
Our God of love and mercy we come to You now eager to settle with You the matters that need to be settled. We do not want to deny our need for forgiveness from You or to try to hide what does need to be dealt with and settled. Thank You for the message of forgiveness carried with the freshly fallen snow. Thank You that You arrange constant reminders of what our lives can be when we reach out to You for forgiveness. God, we are grateful for Your personal invitation to come near to You and to step into the wideness of Your mercy and love. Thank You that You continue to urge us to receive from You forgiveness that we could never deserve or earn. We know that Jesus Your Son has paid the price for our forgiveness and established a way for us repeatedly to be washed whiter than snow. As many times as we come to You for forgiveness, You never turn us away. So here we are LORD in our place of need reaching out to You for forgiveness. We long for Your cleansing power to restore us to who you designed us to be. We do want to be washed whiter than snow. We recognize our God that our sin damages us and others. We admit that our stubborn sin damages our relationship with You. While we are saying that we want to hear from You, we know that our unconfessed sin impairs our ability to discern Your leading. How do You want to bring to our attention where we need to be forgiven? How do You want to convict us regarding those we are refusing to forgive? Sometimes we admit that we feel so stained by sin that we cannot imagine being washed clean. Knowing that You do hold the transforming power to wash us whiter than snow restores hope in our souls. We come to You now confident that it won’t be because of us but because of You that forgiveness will be possible. In an attitude of surrender, we are asking You to keep reminding us to access Your forgiveness quickly instead of carrying the weight of our unconfessed sin. When we see the snow gently drifting down, please make this an occasion for us to remember that You are ready and willing to forgive us and to wash us clean of every stain from our sin. To whom do You want us to carry this same hope filled message of forgiveness? Instead of us just talking about forgiveness, please help us to live decisively the reality of Your gift of liberating forgiveness every day! In Jesus’ Name. AMEN