When the Ice Comes

Freezing rain has a way of stopping everything. The roads turn slick, the trees bow low under the weight, and even the strongest branches can snap without warning. Living here in Ontario, we know what it’s like to wake up to a world coated in ice. It looks beautiful at first—almost magical as the light reflects off every surface—but underneath that beauty is danger. One careless step can send you sliding.

Life can feel like that sometimes. There are seasons when everything seems frozen—progress slows, plans stall, prayers feel suspended in midair. What once flowed freely now feels “straitened,” just as Job described. The waters are tightened. Movement is restricted. We tread carefully, uncertain of our footing. But the same verse reminds us that frost comes “by the breath of God.” Even the freezing seasons are not accidents. They are not outside His control.

I’ve noticed something about freezing rain: it doesn’t last forever. The sun eventually rises high enough, warm enough, to melt what seemed immovable. The same God who allows the freeze also sends the thaw. Sometimes He uses those icy seasons to slow us down, to make us walk more carefully, to remind us that we are not as steady as we think. Slippery roads make us dependent. Frozen seasons make us prayerful.

If you are in a freezing rain season spiritually—where everything feels hard, cold, and uncertain—remember this: God has not abandoned you. He is still breathing. He is still governing the frost. And in His time, He will send the warmth again. Until then, walk carefully. Lean heavily. Trust fully.