Read these Bible verses about winter and see what God’s Word says, whether you’re experiencing spiritual winter or want seasonal verses.
Winter brings a lot of different emotions to mind for different people. Some look forward to snow days from school, sledding, and skiing, warming oneself by a cozy fire, and drinking warm drinks with family and friends. Others dread the cold and inclement weather, fewer daylight hours, scraping ice off windshields and driveways, dangerous driving conditions, and higher incidences of illness.
Regardless of your attitude toward winter, it is one of the four seasons that God intentionally created as part of the rhythm of nature’s cycles. There is immaculate beauty in a mountaintop freshly covered in snow, in the intricately designed structure of each individual snowflake, and the pure whiteness of snow-covered fields.
Winter also reminds us of the sovereignty and power of God as we are reminded that He is in control of our lives just as He controls the wintery weather around us. Snow is also a powerful symbol of the purity and holiness of God. God reveals Himself in many different ways through the season of winter.
Our spiritual lives can also enter a time that feels like winter, a season in which God feels distant even when we seek Him through worship, reading His word, and prayer. During these times we may feel immersed in darkness, loneliness, and solitude, or a sense of hopelessness or despair from the difficult times through which we are walking.
Whether you are curious to see what the Bible has to say about the season of winter and cold weather or you are desperately searching for help and wisdom during this personal season of a spiritual winter, use these Bible verses about winter to teach you and encourage you about what God has to say about this unique season.
Bible Verses About Winter
1. Genesis 8:22 – God Created Seasons As Part of His Sovereign Plan
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22
Winter is one of the seasons God created in His sovereignty over all things to create order and structure for all of creation. He created day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter, a time to plant and a time to harvest all with the intent of blessing us.
This verse reveals the beauty of winter as part of God’s established order, but it also is part of His promise to Noah that never again would He destroy living creatures and that the days and seasons would never cease. Some may love the cold and snow, while others may look forward to the time when the temperatures increase and the ice begins to melt but regardless we can trust that the seasons are a beautiful part of God’s plan for our world.
2. Psalm 74:17 – God Established Seasons as Boundaries
It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter. Psalm 74:17
It is clear that God very purposefully made both summer and winter (and springtime and fall, too!) The seasons are part of His divine established order in the universe, creating rules and boundaries under which the natural world must operate. There is a purpose and time for rest and hibernation of winter, just as the growth and refreshment of summer.
Although He permits for temperatures, plant life, and sunlight patterns to change throughout the year, there is a cyclical pattern of life in which the snow will not forever cover the ground or the blazing sun will not always burn. There are boundaries to each season of life. Depending on where we live, we can expect certain weather patterns to exist at a certain time of year, but there are limits through which God has allowed nature to function. Enjoy the blessings of winter while it lasts!
3. Psalm 147:16-17 – God Causes Snow and Ice to Fall
He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down His hail like pebbles. Who can withstand His icy blast? Psalm 147:16-17
God displays His power and sovereignty over the earth as He causes snow to fall or hail to be hurled down from the heavens. The creativity of God is displayed as we wake to trees covered in a blanket of snow or as we skate down slick patches of ice on the driveway.
But He also uses these amazing displays in nature to show that He is the One in control. God has all of our lives in His hands, and a fresh blanket of snow or a sudden blast of icy air in wintertime reminds us that God is all-powerful and holds all things together in His mighty hands.
4. Job 37:5-6 – God Humbles Us Through Wintery Weather
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know His work, He stops all people from their labor. Job 37:5-6
God’s voice is echoed throughout creation in marvelous ways as even the snow is commanded to fall and the temperatures are commanded to freeze. God’s power and authority is far beyond our limited human understanding. He commands the stars to shine and the sun to rise again each morning.
We are often tempted to get caught up in the tiny details of our everyday lives, the labors of our own hands, yet God finds a way to show us that He is the One accomplishing all things in our lives. When a powerful winter storm sweeps through the land, we are humbled at the work of His hand and worship Him for the wondrous, powerful God that He is.
5. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 – Winter Reminds Us of God’s Timing
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
God has declared that there is a time and purpose for everything that occurs on the earth, and the seasons of nature were established for a reason. In each season there is beauty and God is revealing Himself to us in different ways.
Although some view the cold and dreary days of winter as a time of bitterness and death, God also uses winter to allow nature to rest and be re-energized for the bursting forth of new life. The glittery snow displays God’s purity and beauty in refreshing ways. God is accomplishing specific purposes in the winter season, and soon enough it will be time for spring to burst forth.
6. Job 38:22 – The Holiness of God
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail?” Job 38:22
God emphasizes the infinite holiness of His nature when He asks Job whether he has ever entered the storehouses of snow or seen the storehouses of hail. As Creator of every powerful storm and every weather pattern on earth, God is completely “other” or holier than what the human heart can ask or imagine.
We are reminded of the transcendence and power of God as we consider how He commands each snowflake to fall, each icicle to form, each drop of frost to be scattered across the grass. We are humbled by the power of nature in winter and reminded that as mere humans we are in no place to question God or demand answers too great for our understanding. Let us behold the holiness of God throughout the winter season.
7. Proverbs 31:21 – God Provides For Our Needs in Winter
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet [wool]. Proverbs 31:21
Sometimes thoughts of winter bring forth fears of being caught in a blinding snowstorm or of freezing to death outside in the cold conditions. We are reminded, though, that a godly woman makes sure everyone in the household has warm clothes to wear and has nothing to fear when cold weather comes. Likewise, God always provides everything we need as we experience the harsh cold of winter.
Winter is a wonderful time to be especially grateful that we have a home to shelter us from storms and for the warm clothes we have to wear and good hot food to eat. Let us thank God for all the blessings He has poured into our lives to prepare us and strengthen us for the difficult conditions we face. Let us thank God for being our refuge and strength in winter so that we have nothing to fear as we face each day.
8. Isaiah 1:18 – Winter Reminds Us God Has Made Us White Like Snow
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Snow is frequently used in the Bible to reflect God’s purity, cleanness, and righteousness. Snow is a powerful reminder of the Gospel message, Christ’s redemption of our sins. Our sinful nature causes us to have a guilty conscience, stained by the crimson red that we can never wipe off in our own power.
However, through faith when we accept that Christ died for our sins, God’s grace cleanses us and declares us to be righteous. Our sins have been forgiven and we have been made white as snow, restored to fellowship with our beloved God. Hallelujah! Each time we see a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, let us remember the overwhelming love God has for us and the miracle of our salvation through Christ.
9. Daniel 7:9 – Snow Points to the Glory of God
“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. Daniel 7:9
The dazzling white nature of snow is a shadow of the glorious nature of God that will be revealed to us in heaven. The full glory of Christ our Lord is truly brighter and more magnificent than our eyes can see or our minds can imagine, but the clothing of Jesus Christ and even His hair is often likened to the white of snow.
The pure, white appearance of snow can remind us of the purity and holiness of God, whom one day we will see face to face. Apparently, snow is sent by God to give us a dim reflection in order to begin to grasp the glory of Christ that awaits us. May the next snowstorm remind you of the awesome privilege that awaits when you are in the presence of the glorified Christ for all eternity. To God be the glory!
10. Acts 28:2 – Winter Reminds Us to To Reflect God’s Kindness
The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Acts 28:2
We are called to love our neighbors and to bear the spiritual fruit of kindness in the ways we live our lives. Winter can be a time when we can show exemplary love and kindness to those around us through acts of hospitality and generosity. Many times these acts of unmerited love and thoughtfulness can open the doors of someone’s heart to be more receptive to the Gospel message.
In winter months, there are those around us who don’t have a warm bed to sleep in or adequate clothing to shelter them from the elements. When we offer a warm meal or a new coat to someone in need, we are reflecting the love and glory of God in unique ways to those around us.
While we are called to serve others at all times of the year, the cold winter months provide unique opportunities to show the world we care and remind them that there is a God who loves them more than they could ever imagine. Let us go and be the hands and feet of Christ to the world!
Bible Verses For Experiencing A Spiritual “Winter” Season
11. Isaiah 55:10-11 – God is Faithful to Cause You to Flourish
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11
It is incredibly difficult to walk through seasons in which we do not feel the joy of Christ in our lives in the same way. We do not sense the presence of God at work within us like we once did. It is during this season of a spiritual winter when we have to learn to rely on the truths and promises of God declared to us in His word, rather than what we are feeling or experiencing each day.
God declares that the rains and the snows will not return to heaven without watering the earth and causing new growth to spring forth and flourish. It will produce a fruitful harvest that will provide food for hungry souls. God has declared that water will not return to Him until it has achieved the good and beautiful purposes He created it to accomplish.
So it is with God’s word. Even if you do not experience a sense of joy and peace and wonder as you meditate upon God’s word, that does not mean His word is not accomplishing anything in you. If you continue to be faithful to read His word and meditate upon His truths, God will be faithful to transform your life and renew your mind with the power of His word.
God’s word will not return to Him without accomplishing the work in your soul and spirit that He desires. Even when God feels far away and you are not sure how you will last the winter of your spirit, know that God is working. He is preparing you for a bountiful season of growth and flourishing beauty.
Your spirit will be revived and your soul restored soon. But until then, take heart that God is accomplishing mighty things through His word as you trust in Him and cling to His truth.
12. Song of Songs 2:11-12 – Spring and Singing Are Coming
See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come Song of Songs 2:11-12
During a spiritual winter, it can feel like God has abandoned you and like the dryness of your spirit will never come to an end. The persistent darkness and feelings of loneliness can leave us feeling confused and discouraged. Periods of cold, silence, and waiting are never easy to go through but they are a necessary part of our journey with God.
So how do we survive the spiritual winters of our lives? We must hold onto the hope of Christ, walking by faith when we cannot see. It is important to remember that God has not changed even when you experience a time of barrenness.
He is still the good, loving, compassionate, and faithful God He has always been. He is calling you to deeper intimacy with Him, trusting Him to provide and sustain you through difficult days, rewarding you with a hope that endures. The night of winter is an open door inviting you to experience God’s love in a much deeper and more profound way as you come face to face with your desperation for His Presence.
Christ is our hope to weather this season, but it is important to firmly cling to the fact that this season will not last forever. God alone appoints the time we need to remain in a spiritual winter, but there is no doubt that the cold, isolation, and silence of winter will come to an end.
Spring will burst forth; new growth will arise in glorious rejoicing. Beautiful, colorful flowers will display the splendor of God’s glory, and singing will fill your soul and spirit. The treasures of embracing the joys of life once more become so much more precious after overcoming the adversities of a difficult winter. May you be filled with overflowing praises to God for the goodness and faithfulness of God.
Embrace the season of winter for the profound lessons God is teaching you and the ways in which you feel His intimate embrace that sustains you in the darkness. And then cling to the hope of knowing that spring is just around the corner, and it will be a glorious time of rejoicing in the new things that are springing forth from your life. Glory to God!
13. Psalm 130:5-6 – Wait for the Lord
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope. I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5-6
Many times waiting on the Lord is an integral part of enduring a spiritual season of winter. Despite how hard we try, it is not possible to force ourselves to experience joy or to work hard enough to break through the darkness we are experiencing. God’s grace alone can revive the spirit and nourish the soul, and so we must wait upon Him to bring us out of the cold winter.
What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? Some think of waiting as merely doing nothing as you try to pass the time. However, the definition of “wait” actually means to stay or rest in expectation. In Scripture, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust.
Therefore, waiting is a proactive process in which we have great expectations that something is going to happen. It is the active process of trusting that God is in control, and placing all of our hope in knowing that He absolutely will fulfill the promises in His word. Waiting on God involves deepening our faith as we live according to God’s declared truth, not necessarily based on what we see or feel or experience.
The Bible verse above says that we are to wait on the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning. First of all, this implies that, with great effort, every bit of our thoughts and emotions and actions are all combined into this process of waiting on God. We trust and hope in God with everything we have.
Secondly, it is guaranteed that the morning will come. Therefore, you are not hoping and expecting this breakthrough to happen in vain. It will be accomplished and the morning will come. Let that reality fuel your hope.
As you walk through a spiritually difficult time, put your efforts into trusting in God because He will reveal the path ahead to you and the bright, glorious will come as you wait upon the Lord.
14. Psalm 62:5-7 – Rest in God During Your Winter
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Psalm 62:5-7
As we experience the solitude that often accompanies a spiritual winter, one of the most powerful lessons God teaches us is that this is a time of deep spiritual rest. The hibernation and dormancy of plant and animal life during winter is a powerful time of replenishment, rejuvenation, and restoration in order to store up energy and nutrients that will be required for abundant new growth.
Give yourself permission to rest during this season as God nourishes your soul with His abiding presence and the saturation of your spirit with His word. Acknowledge the blessings God is actually trying to pour into your life as He allows you the time and space for inner reflection and growth, embracing the slower pace of life that wintertime requires. Ponder ways that your soul and spirit need to be fed in order to accomplish the dreams God has placed upon your heart.
Take time to thank God for the rest and hope that God is providing you with as you seek Him as the sole provider of the emotional and spiritual strength that you need to get through each day. He may be using your spiritual winter to reveal Himself to you in greater ways than you have experienced before. Praise Him that He is your source of hope, your provider, your defender, your salvation, your refuge, and the One who is worthy of all your trust and thanksgiving.
May God profoundly restore your soul and nourish your spirit with the deep spiritual rest that He alone provides. May you trust in Him as He cares for your soul during this winter of your spirit.
15. Hebrews 10:23-25 – Hope in Christ For God is Faithful
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another Hebrews 10:23-25
One of the biggest challenges during a time we are experiencing a spiritual winter is holding onto hope. Our emotions are betraying us as we sense spiritual dryness, abandonment, confusion, and despair. Even though the reason for our hope has not changed, we are no longer surrounded with the feelings of joy and peace that we once enjoyed.
This is why it is even more important to hold “unswervingly,” with reckless abandon, with every bit of mental and spiritual strength we can muster to the hope we profess. We know that the God who gave us the gift of this hope to begin with is still faithful and He will undoubtedly hold up His end of the deal, so we must proclaim to our own souls that there is no reason to lose hope now.
Hope implies that we are trusting in, waiting for, or desiring something or someone; it also means to expect something beneficial in the future. For the Christian, our hope is Christ who has not only redeemed us from our sins by His death and resurrection on the cross but has also promised to return for us and allow us to dwell with Him in heaven forever. This promise is what gives us true hope that leads to joy, faith, and love, encouraging our souls with the knowledge of the resurrection.
So even when you feel distant from God, when you feel isolated in the season you are walking through, do not lose heart but cling to your hope in Christ. Jesus is faithful to complete the work He started in you and someday you will walk with Him face to face in the fullness of His glory. Let us encourage one another as we walk toward Jesus, beholding the hope we have in Him.
16. Jeremiah 17:7-8 – Be Confident in What the Lord is Doing In You
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
Times in which we feel like we are in a spiritual winter are especially hard because those things that always allowed us to feel close to God no longer provide that feeling of spiritual encouragement and satisfaction. Singing worship songs just feels like the rote utterance of words, reading God’s word no longer captures our soul, and as we turn to God in prayer there are just no words that come to mind.
Jeremiah was a prophet who was well acquainted with deep grief of the soul and was often called the “weeping prophet” because of the continual lamenting and suffering of his soul. But he reminds us here that even in the midst of such suffering, we are blessed if we continue to trust in God and place our confidence in Him rather than in our circumstances. That is the great challenge as we walk through a difficult spiritual season.
Sometimes experiencing a spiritual winter is also referred to as spiritual drought because it feels like we are dying of spiritual thirst but nothing satisfies. Jeremiah specifically uses the metaphor of a tree planted by water to describe our lives when we trust in God. He declares that we do not have to fear the heat [or cold], but that regardless of the external elements the leaves will be green and the tree will bear fruit.
Claim this promise for your life as well! Even when you feel barren, God is watering your soul and promises to bear much fruit and accomplish great things in your life. Just keep trusting Him, allowing your confidence in Christ to rise up, and then sit back and watch God do miracles in your life. What a mighty God we serve! Drink deeply of His grace today.
17. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 – God’s Light is Shining in Your Heart
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:6-9
Often our journey through a spiritual winter causes us to feel as if we are enshrouded in darkness that prevents any light from penetrating our soul and spirit. This is an incredibly discouraging and disheartening experience, especially when this darkness seems to pervade day after day. However, God made His light to shine in your hearts when you accepted Christ and God allowed you a glimpse of His glory through the knowledge of Christ.
This light continues to shine through you regardless of what season you are walking through because of the glorious Holy Spirit living within you. Not only do you have God’s glorious light within you but His light continues to shine through you because you are merely a clay jar, a leaky vessel through which God exposes those around you to His love, compassion, and peace. God allows His presence to touch those who are near not always through your words or actions, but just because the light of the Holy Spirit is within you.
Remember that God is always with you even when you are walking through dark valleys and do not feel emotionally fulfilled. His grace is more than sufficient for you and He will provide everything you need to persevere through even the hardest days. Remember that even when you feel lonely, confused, weak, and under attack, God will never allow you to be completely crushed, left in despair, abandoned, or destroyed.
Allow God’s abiding presence to be the light to sustain you in the darkness. Trust that God is for you and is enfolding you in His loving embrace as you endure the spiritual winter along your journey of faith.
18. Romans 15:4-5 – Let God’s Word Give You Endurance and Encouragement
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4-5
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the most helpful ways to cope with a particularly difficult season of life is to take our mind off our own problems and focus on someone else. Although there are many different ways to do that, sometimes it is helpful to read how another person navigated a season of spiritual adversity or a time of deep grief.
Reading Mother Theresa’s letters revealing times of doubt, Charles Spurgeon’s battles with depression, or Joni Erickson Tada’s accounts of overcoming her anger toward God can encourage us as we read how faithful Christians endured deep struggles in their walk with God. However, we are assured that one of the benefits of reading Scripture is allowing the very word of God to teach us how to endure through any circumstance we face. God’s word gives us holy encouragement that has testified through the ages so that we might have hope, a firm hope that is an anchor for our soul.
Whether you are reading the prolific laments of Jeremiah, the angst of David’s soul as he flees for his life recorded in the Psalms, or the intense persecution and imprisonments of Paul and other apostles in the New Testament, there are ample accounts of how godly men and women endured impossible situations and yet were still able to praise God at the end of their lives. Allow these words to permeate your soul and remind you that God sees your pain, He cares deeply about your suffering, and He will rescue and deliver you to a place of great hope and joy.
And then, may you be encouraged to know that God will also use your testimony from this difficult season to encourage others and allow others to endure their own seasons of winter and adversity. This building one another up through encouragement and prayer and bearing one another’s burdens allows us to glorify God in a way that brings Him exceeding delight and pleasure.
Be assured that God is still at work in your life right now and He is accomplishing glorious and magnificent things through you even when He seems far away. God is faithful!
More Bible Verses You May Enjoy:
10 Bible Verses On Spending Time With God
34 Scriptures on Hearing God’s Voice
32 Bible Verses about Joy in the Hard Times
