If you have ever been in a real blizzard, you will always remember the experience. A blizzard is a severe snowstorm with winds of 35 miles per hour or more (56 kilometers per hour) and heavy, falling snow. Strong winds blowing the snow sideways make it almost impossible to see. In some places, like the Great Plains of North America, the strong winds may also bring in bitter cold. The blizzard may last from a few hours to a few days. In many places in the world, people have never seen snow, so a blizzard is almost impossible for them to understand.
This is the story of a blizzard in Nebraska over 125 years ago. There were no phones, no cars and no weather reports back then, and many people lived long distances apart. Children went to a one-room schoolhouse with their brothers, sisters and friends of all ages. We often call this time in history, “pioneer days.”
Does a blizzard sound like fun to you? As a child, I thought it would be great! We know God was in control of the world and weather back then, just as He is now. Amos 4:1313For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name. (Amos 4:13) tells us He formed the mountains and created the wind.
January 12, 1888, started out like a normal winter day in Nebraska when Minnie Freeman, the schoolteacher, and the children arrived at the schoolhouse. We don’t know if any of the children or their parents had prayed that morning, asking the Lord Jesus to take care of them that day, but we do know He was watching over them. Even though you may not face the scary time these children did, it is always good for parents and their children to ask the Lord Jesus for His watchful care each day.
On that January day, a sudden, fierce blizzard with howling winds swept across Nebraska. The temperature suddenly dropped to 40 degrees below zero. Minnie and the children did not know it, but that blizzard would last for 18 hours! They sat huddled in the one-room, sod schoolhouse listening to the wind. When part of the roof blew off, Minnie knew they all had to leave the schoolhouse and find shelter in some safe place.
What is the best thing to do when we are in trouble? Psalm 50:1515And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. (Psalm 50:15) says, “Call upon Me [the Lord Jesus] in the day of trouble.” We don’t know if Minnie called to Him for help, but we do know they certainly were in serious trouble. They learned later that many people died in that awful blizzard.
Minnie told the children that they were going to leave the schoolhouse and that they all must stay together! If anyone needed to stop to rub their hands to warm them, they all had to stop. She took a ball of rope from her desk and tied the children together in a line and then tied one end to her arm. They went with strict orders to keep hold of and follow the child in front of them, with Minnie leading the way.
It was about a half mile to the nearest farmhouse, and Minnie knew that was where they had to go. The wind blew the thickly falling snow so hard, that Minnie and her students could only see about four feet ahead as they struggled on.
What a relief when they finally made it to safety inside the farmhouse! The children were made comfortable on beds of hay on the farmhouse floor, as they waited for the blizzard to pass. The children’s parents were desperate with worry and concern, as there was no way to let them know that all the schoolchildren were safe. When they learned that the children were all okay, the parents gave God the credit for saving them. There were other children who got lost and died in that terrible blizzard.
You may not be lost in a blizzard, but you are lost in your sins if you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour. “The Son of Man [the Lord Jesus] is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:1010For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)). Just as the children were safe and cared for in the farmhouse, we are safe when we put our trust in Jesus. The Bible tells us that anyone who puts his trust in Him shall be safe (Proverbs 29:2525The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)). Won’t you trust Him now?
Besides the parents and the children, many people thanked and praised Minnie for her effort in saving all thirteen of her students. A song of thanksgiving, called “Song of the Great Blizzard: Thirteen Were Saved,” was written in her honor.
If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, have you ever thought of singing songs of thanksgiving and praise to Him, as they did to Minnie? “Giving thanks always for all things unto God” (Ephesians 5:2020Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; (Ephesians 5:20)).
ML-01/26/2014