Give Attention to God’s Wonderful Works
"Many things you yourself have done, O Jehovah my God, even your wonderful works and your thoughts toward us; there is none to be compared to you."—PSALM 40:5.
WHEN you read the Bible, you can readily see that God did wonderful things for his ancient people, Israel. (Joshua 3:5; Psalm 106:7, 21, 22) Even if Jehovah is not presently intervening in that way in human affairs, we find around us abundant proof of his wonderful works. So we have reason to join the psalmist in saying: "How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions."—Psalm 104:24; 148:1-5.
2 Many today ignore or reject such clear evidence of the Creator’s activities. (Romans 1:20) We, however, do well to reflect on them and to draw conclusions relative to our position before and duty toward our Maker. Job chapters 38 to 41 are excellent aids in this, for Jehovah there called to Job’s attention certain aspects of His wonderful works. Consider some valid issues that God raised.
Works Powerful and Wonderful
3 At one point, God inquired of Job: "Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or do you see even the storehouses of the hail, which I have kept back for the time of distress, for the day of fight and war?" In many parts of our earth, snow and hail are part of life. God went on: "Who has divided a channel for the flood and a way for the thunderous storm cloud, to make it rain upon the land where there is no man, upon the wilderness in which there is no earthling man, to satisfy storm-stricken and desolate places and to cause the growth of grass to sprout? Does there exist a father for the rain, or who gave birth to the dewdrops? Out of whose belly does the ice actually come forth, and as for the hoarfrost of heaven, who indeed brings it to birth?"—Job 38:22, 23, 25-29.
4 Some who live in a fast-paced society and who must travel may view snow merely as an obstacle. Yet, countless others view snow as a delight, producing a winter wonderland that opens up opportunities for special activities. With God’s question in mind, do you have an intimate knowledge of snow, even of what it looks like? Oh, we know what a lot of it looks like, perhaps from photos of snowbanks or because we have actually seen plenty of snow. But what of individual snowflakes? Do you know what they look like, maybe having examined them at their source?
5 Some men have spent decades studying and photographing snowflakes. A snowflake may be composed of a hundred delicate ice crystals in a variety of beautiful designs. The book Atmosphere says: "The endless variety of snowflakes is legendary, and although scientists insist that no law of nature forbids their duplication, two identical flakes have never been found. One search of epic proportions was conducted by . . . Wilson A. Bentley, who spent more than 40 years examining and photographing snowflakes through a microscope without ever finding two that were exactly alike." And even if, in a rare case, two appeared to be twins, would that really alter the wonder of the staggering variety of snowflakes?
6 Recall God’s question: "Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow?" Many think of clouds as the storehouses of snow. Can you imagine going to these storehouses to inventory snowflakes in their infinite variety and to study how they came to be? A science encyclopedia says: "The nature and origin of the ice nuclei, which are necessary to induce freezing of cloud droplets at temperatures about -40°F (-40°C), are still not clear."—Psalm 147:16, 17; Isaiah 55:9, 10.
7 Or what about rain? God asked Job: "Does there exist a father for the rain, or who gave birth to the dewdrops?" The same science encyclopedia says: "Because of the complexity of atmospheric motions and the enormous variability in vapor and particle content of the air, it seems impossible to construct a detailed, general theory of the manner in which clouds and precipitation develop." In simpler terms, scientists have offered detailed theories, but they really cannot fully explain rain. Yet, you know that the vital rain falls, watering the earth, sustaining plants, making life possible and pleasant.
8 Would you not agree with the conclusion the apostle Paul came to? He urged others to see in these wonderful works testimony about the One behind them. Paul said of Jehovah God: "He did not leave himself without witness in that he did good, giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts to the full with food and good cheer."—Acts 14:17; Psalm 147:8.
9 There can be no question that the Doer of such wonderful and beneficial works has infinite wisdom and enormous power. As to his power, think of this: It is said that there are some 45,000 thunderstorms every day, more than 16 million a year. This means that about 2,000 are occurring at this very moment. The complex clouds of a single thunderstorm churn with energy equal to ten or more of the nuclear bombs dropped in World War II. You see some of that energy as lightning. Besides being awesome, lightning actually helps to produce forms of nitrogen that reach the soil, where plants absorb them as natural fertilizer. So lightning is displayed energy, but it also brings real benefits.—Psalm 104:14, 15.
What Effect on You?
10 Imagine yourself in Job’s place, being questioned by Almighty God. You will likely agree that most people give little attention to God’s wonderful works. Jehovah asks us the questions we read at Job 38:33-38. "Have you come to know the statutes of the heavens, or could you put its authority in the earth? Can you raise your voice even to the cloud, so that a heaving mass of water itself may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are!’? Who put wisdom in the cloud layers, or who gave understanding to the sky phenomenon? Who can exactly number the clouds in wisdom, or the water jars of heaven—who can tip them over, when the dust pours out as into a molten mass, and the clods of earth themselves get stuck together?"
11 We have touched on only a few of the points that Elihu raised with Job, and we have noted some questions that Jehovah called on Job to answer "like an able-bodied man." (Job 38:3) We say "some" because in chapters 38 and 39, God focused attention on other notable aspects of creation. For example, the constellations of the heavens. Who knows all their laws, or statutes? (Job 38:31-33) Jehovah directed Job’s attention to some of the animals—the lion and the raven, the mountain goat and the zebra, the wild bull and the ostrich, the mighty horse and the eagle. In effect, God asked Job if he had given these varied animals their characteristics, allowing them to live and to thrive. You may enjoy studying these chapters, especially if you like horses or other animals.—Psalm 50:10, 11.
12 You could also examine Job chapters 40 and 41, where Jehovah again asked Job to respond to questions about two particular creatures. We understand these to be the hippopotamus (Behemoth), prodigious in size and strong in body, and the formidable Nile crocodile (Leviathan). Each in its own way is a marvel of creation worthy of attention. Let us now see what conclusions we should reach.
13 Job chapter 42 shows us what effect God’s questioning had on Job. Earlier Job gave too much attention to himself and others. But accepting the correction implicit in God’s questions, Job changed his thinking. He confessed: "I have come to know that you [Jehovah] are able to do all things, and there is no idea that is unattainable for you. ‘Who is this that is obscuring counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I talked, but I was not understanding things too wonderful for me, which I do not know." (Job 42:2, 3) Yes, after giving attention to God’s works, Job said that these things were too wonderful for him. After reviewing these creative marvels, we should likewise be impressed with God’s wisdom and power. To what end? Is it simply a matter of being impressed with Jehovah’s enormous power and ability? Or should we be moved beyond that?
14 Well, in Psalm 86, we find related expressions made by David, who in an earlier psalm said: "The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling. One day after another day causes speech to bubble forth, and one night after another night shows forth knowledge." (Psalm 19:1, 2) But David went further. At Psalm 86:10, 11, we read: "You are great and are doing wondrous things; you are God, you alone. Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way. I shall walk in your truth. Unify my heart to fear your name." David’s awe of the Creator for all His wondrous works included a due measure of reverential fear. You can appreciate why. David did not want to displease the One who is able to perform these wonderful works. Neither should we.
15 David must have realized that since God has and controls tremendous power, he can direct it against any who merit his disfavor. For them, that is ominous. God asked Job: "Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or do you see even the storehouses of the hail, which I have kept back for the time of distress, for the day of fight and war?" Snow, hail, rainstorms, wind, and lightning are all in his arsenal. And what staggeringly powerful natural forces they are!—Job 38:22, 23.
16 Probably you recall some local catastrophe caused by one of these—a hurricane, typhoon, cyclone, hailstorm, or flash flood. To illustrate, toward the end of the year 1999, a vast storm struck southwestern Europe. It surprised even weather experts. Gale winds reached 125 miles per hour [200 km/hr], ripping off thousands of roofs, toppling electric-line pylons, and overturning trucks. Try to visualize this: That storm period uprooted or broke in half some 270 million trees, 10,000 in just the park of Versailles, outside Paris. Millions of households lost electricity. The death toll was near 100. All of that in one brief period. What force!
17 One might call storms freak, undirected, uncontrolled occurrences. What, though, could happen if the all-powerful One performs wondrous works by using such forces in a controlled, directed way? He did something like that back in the days of Abraham, who learned that the Judge of all the earth had weighed the wickedness of two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. They were so corrupt that cries over them ascended to God, who helped all righteous ones to escape the condemned cities. History reports: "Then Jehovah made it rain sulphur and fire from Jehovah, from the heavens," upon those cities. That was a wondrous work, preserving righteous ones and destroying the hopelessly wicked.—Genesis 19:24.
18 At a later time, God issued a judicial decision against the ancient city of Babylon, which may be the city referred to in Isaiah chapter 25. God foretold that a city would become a ruin: "You have made a city a pile of stones, a fortified town a crumbling ruin, a dwelling tower of strangers to be no city, which will not be rebuilt even to time indefinite." (Isaiah 25:2) Modern-day visitors to the site of Babylon can confirm that this has proved to be so. Was Babylon’s destruction just a coincidence? No. Rather, we can accept Isaiah’s evaluation: "O Jehovah, you are my God. I exalt you, I laud your name, for you have done wonderful things, counsels from early times, in faithfulness, in trustworthiness."—Isaiah 25:1.
Wonderful Works in the Future
19 God fulfilled the above prophecy in the past, and he will act wonderfully in the future. In this context, where Isaiah mentions "wonderful things" of God, we find a reliable prophecy that is yet to be fulfilled, just as the judgment on Babylon was fulfilled. What ‘wonderful thing’ is promised? Isaiah 25:6 says: "Jehovah of armies will certainly make for all the peoples, in this mountain, a banquet of well-oiled dishes, a banquet of wine kept on the dregs, of well-oiled dishes filled with marrow, of wine kept on the dregs, filtered."
20 That prophecy will assuredly be fulfilled in the new world of God’s promise, just ahead of us. At that time, mankind will be relieved of problems that now weigh so many down. In fact, the prophecy at Isaiah 25:7, 8 guarantees that God will use his creative power to do one of the most wonderful works of all time: "He will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces. And the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for Jehovah himself has spoken it." The apostle Paul later quoted from that passage and applied it to God’s bringing dead ones back to life, resurrecting the dead. What a wonderful work that will be!—1 Corinthians 15:51-54.
21 Another reason why tears of sorrow will vanish is that humans will have their physical maladies removed. When Jesus was on earth, he cured many—returning sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, vigor to the disabled. John 5:5-9 relates that he healed a man lame for 38 years. Observers thought that this was a marvel, or wonderful work. And it was! Jesus, however, told them that more marvelous will be his resurrecting the dead: "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life."—John 5:28, 29.
22 That is bound to occur because the one promising it is Jehovah. Rest assured that when he employs and carefully directs his great restorative power, the result will be wonderful. Psalm 72 points to what he will do through his King-Son. Then the righteous one will sprout. Peace will be abundant. God will deliver the poor and afflicted. He promises: "There will come to be plenty of grain on the earth; on the top of the mountains there will be an overflow. His fruit will be as in [ancient] Lebanon, and those who are from the city will blossom like the vegetation of the earth."—Psalm 72:16.
23 Clearly, we have reason to give attention to all of Jehovah’s wonderful works—what he did in the past, what he is doing today, and what he will do in the near future. "Blessed be Jehovah God, Israel’s God, who alone is doing wonderful works. And blessed be his glorious name to time indefinite, and let his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen." (Psalm 72:18, 19) That should regularly be a subject of our enthusiastic conversation with relatives and others. Yes, let us "declare among the nations his glory, among all the peoples his wonderful works."—Psalm 78:3, 4; 96:3, 4.


SNOW
White crystals of frozen water that form from water vapor in the atmosphere. Each descending snow crystal washes out the atmosphere and carries with it compounds of elements such as sulfur and nitrogen, thus contributing to soil fertility while supplying moisture. (Isa 55:10, 11) Snow can be a source of clean water for washing. (Job 9:30) Though either rare or unknown in certain areas of Palestine, it sometimes falls during January and February in hill country, as at Jerusalem. (Compare 2Sa 23:20; 1Ch 11:22.) During most of the year there is snow in the heights and ravines of the Lebanon Range; lofty Mount Hermon is snowcapped nearly all year long. (Jer 18:14) Psalm 68:14 refers to snow in Zalmon, which is part of Mount Hauran (Jebel ed Druz), located E of the Jordan.
Jehovah, the Producer of snow, can also control it. (Job 37:6; Ps 147:16) To serve His purpose, God has stored snow and hail "for the day of fight and war."—Job 38:22, 23.
Illustrative Use. Snow is used in Scriptural similes to help convey the idea of whiteness. (Ex 4:6; Nu 12:10; 2Ki 5:27; Da 7:9; Mt 28:3; Re 1:14) Sometimes it is associated with purity. (Isa 1:18; La 4:7) For example, David begged God to purify him from sin, washing him so that he might become "whiter even than snow."—Ps 51:7.
Job’s three companions, being no source of true comfort to him, were likened to a winter torrent, swollen by melting ice and snow in the mountains but running dry in the heat of summer. (Job 6:15-17) Sheol is said to snatch away sinners as drought and heat do snow waters. (Job 24:19) Just as snow is unnatural and would harm crops in summer, so "glory is not fitting for a stupid one." (Pr 26:1) However, a faithful envoy, one who would fulfill his commission to the satisfaction of those sending him, is likened to a drink that is cooled with snow from the mountains and that brings refreshment on a hot day of harvest.—Pr 25:13.


A Winter Blanket
HAVE you ever gazed, mesmerized, at falling snow? If so, no doubt you will agree that this is one of the most beautiful and tranquil of sights—particularly if you are safe and warm indoors and have no pressing need to travel. As the white blanket thickens, it seems to spread a profound peace and quiet everywhere. Even the din of the city is dampened as the gentle flakes fall in their millions.
Isn’t it amazing, though, how something as seemingly gentle as a snowfall can become destructive? Such bustling cities as New York—often billed as "the city that never sleeps"—can be brought to a humiliating halt if the snow piles up high enough.
Little wonder, then, that God asked the faithful man Job: "Have you entered into the storehouses of the snow, or do you see even the storehouses of the hail, which I have kept back for the time of distress, for the day of fight and war?" (Job 38:22, 23) In the hands of its Creator, Jehovah God, snow can be a formidable weapon indeed.
However, snow often plays a role in preserving life rather than in bringing destruction. For example, the Bible says that God "is giving snow like wool." (Psalm 147:16) How is snow like wool? The Bible uses both snow and wool to represent whiteness and purity. (Isaiah 1:18) But there is another important similarity. Both snow and wool act as insulators. The World Book Encyclopedia says: "Wool . . . insulates against both cold and heat." And of snow, World Book notes that it too "serves as a good insulator. Snow helps protect plants and hibernating animals from the cold winter air."
So the next time you watch the snow falling from the sky, you may want to think of God’s awesome power. Or you may choose to think of the gentle protection he provides as he spreads a white blanket over his creation, much the way a loving parent might tuck a child safely into bed.


"Have You Visited the Storehouse of the Snow?"
AS THE fire burned warmly inside, quietly and gently a white blanket had begun to cover the house and the earth. It was snowing. For some, moments like these cause the mind to search for an answer to a question posed centuries ago: "Have you visited the storehouse of the snow?" (Job 38:22, The New English Bible) Even to this day, snow—its origin, flake growth, and design—staggers the mind of scientists.
But what is this fluffy stuff, really? Simply put, snow is a clustering of ice crystals crafted from the water vapor in the air. Temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure help sculpture the beautifully symmetrical shapes of ice crystals. When the temperature near the ground is above 32° F. (0° C.) snow may reach us as rain. But if the temperature is below 32° F., the tiny crystals will clump together to form a snowflake.
But there must be something that the moisture can be formed around, something that acts as a "seed." What can be used? Any microscopic particles floating in the air will do—dust, salt, or even pollution. Around these nuclei, ice crystals will grow into flat six-pointed stars, hexagonal pillars, or sparkling needles. As snow tumbles slowly earthward from as high as six miles (10 km), it may collide with other crystals and stick to them, or it may shatter, forming more "seeds" for more crystals.
Is Each Snowflake Unique?
Here are two statistics that may surprise you: A cubic foot (.028 cu m) of snow may contain 10 million snowflakes. And it has been estimated that up to one half of the earth’s land surface and 10 percent of the sea, about 48 million square miles (124 million sq km), may at times be under this wintry blanket. With all that snow, is it possible that no two snowflakes are alike? Yes!
To try to understand why, let us consider just one more set of facts. Millions of water molecules, which can be arranged in many different ways, may form a single ice crystal. And it takes from one to more than a hundred of these ice crystals to make one snowflake. According to Charles Knight, physicist at the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research, if you put all these numbers in a computer, you would find that there are still more possible combinations of molecules in each snowflake than there have been snowflakes in all earth’s history.
In addition, the air around a flake shapes its growth. As mentioned earlier, moisture, temperature, and barometric pressure sculpture snow. However, wind molds its shape too. All four factors may vary from moment to moment. Falling snow may pass through air masses of varying temperature. The wind may blow it through any number of temperature and humidity ranges in its downward journey. And since no two flakes are likely to follow the same path to earth, each one should indeed be unique.
Our "Thermal" Blanket
Just as many enjoy a soft, warm blanket on a cold winter night, the earth has its own winter blanket. Thanks to snow, the fluctuations in temperature of the soil are moderated. The soil holds in the heat it had absorbed before it was covered. Thus seeds are protected and crops will grow for the next harvesttime.
The earth is not just insulated by the snow blanket, however; it is also fertilized. How so? Because of the vital nitrates that are deposited by the snow. In the 1970’s it was estimated that an average snowfall on prairie farms would deposit about $20 worth of nitrates per acre (.4 ha).
And did you know that snow is referred to as the most effective "dam" of any kind? The water is held back or stored in the form of snow. In this form it will wait until it is released by melting in the spring. Hence, snow holds back water as a dam does. Even then, thanks to its ability to reflect the sun’s rays, the snow will melt away slowly, and in this way much of the water will filter its way down into the soil instead of just flowing off.
Over 2,500 years ago, the Bible outlined these benefits of rain and snow by stating: "The pouring rain descends, and the snow . . . [and] actually saturates the earth and makes it produce and sprout, and seed is actually given to the sower and bread to the eater." (Isaiah 55:10) Yes, for many of earth’s inhabitants, the water they drink and the food they eat, and even the electricity they use, may be directly or indirectly a result of tapping "the storehouse of the snow."

Have You Ever Wondered . . .
What color is snow?
"White," most people would answer. Yet snow is transparent; it is clear. It is made up of billions of tiny prisms. As light passes through each crystal prism, it breaks up into all the colors of the rainbow. Our eye, not able to handle all this color at once, simply sums it up into its total—white.
Why is it that I get a sore back after shoveling snow when the flakes are so light and airy?
The weight of millions of flakes stacked one on another is considerable. For example, if you shoveled the snow from a sidewalk 50 feet long (15 m) and 5 feet wide (1.5 m) after a 15-inch snowfall (38 cm), you will have lifted about 2,000 pounds (900 kg) of snow!

Ice crystals are all symmetrical and six-sided in shape, yet no two are alike