As the northern wind sweeps away the last golden leaves and the morning frost crystallizes into silver on the withered grass, the world solemnly declares: winter has arrived.

This season is marked by a landscape where “water begins to freeze, and the earth starts to harden,” ushering in the period of “bi cang”, or “concealment and storage”, (as noted in the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon, “The three months of winter are a time of concealment of all living things.”) While life seems to retreat, it is, in fact, gathering strength for renewal in the coming spring.

When people see icy water and frozen earth, they add layers of clothing and consume nourishing food to fend off the cold. However, for us Christians, we hear the gentle call of the Creator in the silent concealment of all things: “Hide in me,” as the source of our eternal warmth and our refuge resides in face of the storm.

Jeremiah 1:10 discloses God’s eternal plan of “uprooting” and “planting”: just as the winter’s withering prepares the soil for new life, the Lord’s work encompasses both breaking down and building up. The concealment of winter is never the end, but the beginning of the Lord’s “planting” -- beneath the seemingly still and frozen ground, God is paving the way for a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrew 12:28).

The Wisdom of Concealment: Unveiling the Mystery of God’s Timing and Portioning

“The Monthly Ordinances” from The Book of Rites describes the first month of winter as a time when “water begins to freeze, the earth hardens, pheasants retreat, and clams become visible”. This illustrates a scene of flowing water turning into ice, the earth sealing its vitality, and pheasants retreating to their nests. Wu Cheng, a poet of Yuan Dynasty, referred to this as “three micro seasons of li dong (the start of winter)” in The Seventy-two Micro Seasons of the Moon Order. Is this not a book of wisdom penned by the Creator? “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 ordained a season of “concealment” for all creation: seeds buried in frozen soil are meant to nurture new lives, and the frozen streams are meant to gather strength. The divine wisdom is also evident in the seemingly “frozen” seasons of our lives: waiting in times of illness, praying in silence, and enduring through challenges. These God-ordained “spiritual winters” are designed to purify us and prepare us for greater revival.

The Way of Nourishment: Relying on Heavenly Sustenance

As winter began, ancient Chinese practiced “winter nourishment” by drinking yellow rice wine and eating mutton soup (traditions of brewing liquor in the south and consuming food in the north reflect the distinct climate features and culinary cultures of southern and northern China. Despite these differences, both express a common wish for health and happiness, as well as an understanding of the body’s need for nourishment to resist the cold.

However, our spiritual lives require true sustenance: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). When the world elevates entertainment, money, and accomplishments as “spiritual nourishment”, the Divine One calls us to return to the source of life -- Christ, who is “the bread of life that came down from heaven” (John 6:51). The words of our Lord are sweeter than honey, and the promises given are like a warm fire in the cold of winter.

In southern China, particularly in Shaoxing, people make yellow rice wine at the start of winter. The cold, pure water during this season effectively hinders the growth of unwanted microbes, good for long fermentation in creating a unique flavor. Locals refer to the period between the start of winter and the following spring as “winter wine-making”, believing that the yellow rice wine produced during this time is of the highest quality. This process requires patience and waiting, much like the “accumulation” of our Bible reading and prayer, which eventually becomes a force to endure spiritual winters: “The unfolding of your words gives light” (Psalm 119:130).

Fixing Our eyes on the Light: Resting in the Unshakable Promise

Winter brings shorter days and longer nights. But the children of God do not fear the darkness, for we know: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) Christ is the “true light” (John 1:9), a pillar of fire that penetrates endless night. In this season of all creation retreating, it is a fitting time to meditate on the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus: “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Revelation 22:12)

Farming activities decrease as winter begins, so fields fall silent. Yet, our hearts must remain vigilant, like the wise virgins who prepared their lamps with oil (Matthew 25:1-13). This seemingly stagnant season is when our God prepares the thunders of the coming spring -- just as the Lord who resurrects the dead will bring forth our lives hidden in Christ in due time.

Winter has arrived, and all things lie hidden. When freezing winds sweep across the wilderness and icicles hang from the eaves, may we find refuge in Christ, like wheat seeds buried deep in the earth. God is the warm current beneath the frozen ground, the beacon that never dims in the dark night, and the One who “making a way in the wilderness, and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19).

Let us shelter in the Lord in this season of concealment and waiting, and anticipate the coming spring. Let us use God’s words as the cellar to store spiritual sustenance, take the Divine Promises as a hearth to melt the frost in our hearts, and the Second Coming as the morning star to illuminate our night watch.

Do you know that the deepest warmth is not found in clothing but in the embrace of Christ, the steadiest rest is not in a greenhouse but beneath the cross? As the world trembles in the winter’s chill, let us sing to the Lord of eternal spring: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7).

Winter never signified the end, but a path to resurrection -- for the Lord who shelters all in winter is preparing an unfading spring for those who believe.