"Thou hast made summer and winter" (Psalm 74: 17).
My soul, begin this wintry month with your God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind you that He keeps His covenant with day and night. You can be assured that He will also keep that glorious covenant which He has made with you in the person of Jesus Christ. He who is true to His Word in the revolutions of the seasons of this poor, sin-polluted world will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved Son. Winter in the soul is by no means a comfortable season. If it is on you just now, it will be very painful to you. But there is this comfort, namely, that the Lord allows it. He is the great Winter King and rules in the realms of frost. Our circumstances come to us with wise design. Frosts kill noxious insects and put a stop to raging diseases. They break up the clods and sweeten the soil. Oh, that such good results would always follow our winters of affliction! How we prize the fire just now! How pleasant is its cheerful glow! Let us prize our Lord in the same manner, who is the constant source of warmth and comfort in every time of trouble. Let us draw near to Him and find joy and peace in believing. Let us wrap ourselves in the warm garments of His promises and go forth to labors which fit the season.