I’ve had them before. Brain-freezes. And usually from consuming an icy drink too quickly. The secret to relieve the pain is to place the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth. I’m not sure why that works – probably the Second Law of Thermodynamics. But today I experienced the sensation of a medically-induced brain-freeze. It was the doctor’s suggestion, to deal with a small sunspot on the crown of my head. I tried the tongue-thing while the liquid-nitrogen was being applied, but apparently the Second Law doesn’t cover that scenario.

According to Psalm 147, God can both fearfully freeze and mercifully unfreeze things by the sheer power of his Word. “He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 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? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.”

The first part of the picture, applied in a kingdom sense, is rather fearful. God can pronounce judgement on careless hearts, and freeze them, so that they become numb to spiritual things; and when that happens, no law of thermodynamics can bring release. But how welcome is that second part of the picture. God can conquer stone-cold hearts and make them flow with streams of love. And when that happens, there is no law of hell that can change their temperature or direction.