The wall of snow - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Nahum 1:7

The wall of snow
At the beginning of January 1814, the Swedish crown prince Carl Johann Bernadotte and his allies were bearing Schleswig during the winter campaign against the Danes. The inhabitants of the city feared the worst, particularly from the brutal Cossacks.
At the entrance of the city, in the direction from which the enemy would come, was situated a small cottage, there for all to see. In lived a 20-year-old with his mother and grandmother.
It was the grandmother's custom to pray to God in all circumstances and to trust Him. In those anxious days she asked Him fervently to preserve them. Her grandson repeatedly heard her quote a line from an old church hymn:
"Build a wall around us that will keep the enemy away."
The grandson considered it an impossibility that God would erect a wall at lightning speed around their house of all buildings. The grandmother explained that she did not mean it literally but figuratively; she stated however, that if God wished to do so, He could actually build a wall around them.
The armistice was due to end at midnight. In the evening a snowstorm arose, causing an enormous drift to build up in front of the cottage. God had heard the prayer and responded literally. The soldiers passed the cottage, so that they were spared any plundering.
This occurrence was quickly taken up by the press and later became the subject of a well-known poem.
Today's reading: Ezekiel ch. 7