Our calendar tells us that December 21 is the first day of winter. In John chapter 10, Jesus is reported as having taken a winter walk. With its desert, mountains, and Mediterranean Sea, Israel has basically two seasons that being summer and winter. It is about the same latitude as Georgia in the United States with its rainy season and occasional frost, sometimes even snowfalls. Our text is more than a reference to a season of the year. It can also be called a season of life and experiences that can be as severe as any windchill factor. What winters might we speak of when we would desire Jesus to take a winter walk with us?
Referring to Psalm 92, winter can be a time or age during which we live. It has its penalties, pains, and even glories. We might consider what our winter would be like including the regrets of our lifetime. Proverbs 3 eludes the winter of hard circumstances. It is during those times that believers are expected to learn valuable lessons. We all know there are times that a spiritual winter that comes upon us meeting that we must lean on God without doubt.
Then look at Isaiah 55 that speaks of the winter of confusion. Have you not, like me, found yourself in a state of bewilderment seeking God but not knowing that you have found his guidance for particular matters? We seek answers to such questions as “why,” and “when.” As we grow in the Lord, there is more benefit in the search than in the discovery of answers.
In Psalm 38 reminds us about the winter of sin. Nothing is more spiritually chilling to our spiritual bones than to be living in sin even as believers! The Bible repeatedly reminds us for the necessity of realizing exactly what sin is and how it affects us including what it is like to live in the condition of sin. This means that we must do our part by repenting before the God of all creation before he can do his part in bringing us to a place of redemption.
These are some examples of how winter can emotionally and spiritually come upon us. It is a common experience for believers to experience the doldrums of winter. In the same way that we do not want to stand in the chilling temperatures of this world, so must we not stand in the chilling temperatures of waywardness and rebellion. Just like when springtime comes and the flowers begin to bloom, so do we have the opportunity for the work of the Holy Spirit to blossom among us.
Christian Writer 