A Brief Encouragement Before the Bleak Midwinter

The lyrics of the Christmas carol “In the Bleak Midwinter” lull us into the chill of a winter gone by:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our experience can sometimes be similar today—we feel the cold, harsh presence of winter, especially when trials and temptations come. In the bleakness of life and the temptation to overwhelmed by circumstances that seem cold and harsh, we must look to Christ and ask Him to minister to us today.

Of many passages that we could recall, remember Christ’s own temptation in Mark 1:12–13: “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him” (cf. Matthew 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–12).

Jesus was alone with the Father above, and Satan and predators were His company below. He ate no food, and the weather was hot and harsh. Satan tempted Him sorely, but He prevailed and was strengthened by angels.

In this time, Jesus struggled with His own temptations and trials: “in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). As a result, in His humanity, He can fully “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Hebrews 4:15), and, in His divinity, He strengthens us when we ask for help from above: “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14, 16).

“In the Bleak Midwinter” ends with this line—“yet what I can I give him: give my heart.” As you daily give your all to Him and seek Him in whatever you might face, He will sympathize with you and strengthen you with mercy and grace. Follow His example. Ask for help from above, whatever this winter may have for you.

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Image by Joe from Pixabay