God’s Cool Gift of Ice

Frozen water lets people go sledding, ice skating, and snow skiing. Thanks to ice, we have ice hockey, horse-drawn sleighs, and snowball fights.

If you enjoy speed, snowmobiles zip over snowdrifts where cars would get stuck. Like sailboats, iceboats have sails, but instead of slicing through water, iceboats glide over frozen waterways with steel blades on their bottom.

On a scorching summer day, you might enjoy a cherry slushy or a frosty glass of iced tea or an ice cream cone.

From gigantic glaciers to the cubes you put in your cup, ice comes in many forms. God has called us to steward (wisely use) this frozen resource. As humans have developed technology over the years, we’ve learned new ways that ice can make life even cooler!

What Exactly Is Ice?

When water’s temperature drops to 32º Fahrenheit, its molecules (small parts) slow down. These molecules bond together to form crystals called ice.

If you ever get a chance, try building an igloo. (Inside, you can ice-so-late yourself!)

Most things contract (shrink) when they grow colder. But not water. When water freezes, it expands about 9% in size. Because the molecules in ice end up farther apart than in water, ice is less dense (lighter). That’s why it floats instead of sinks on water.

Ice gives a glimpse of God’s wisdom and care for his creation. If God had created water molecules to shrink when they freeze, the winter ice that forms on lakes would sink to the bottom. As more ice formed and sank, lakes, ponds, and rivers could eventually freeze solid, from bottom to top, killing the fish in the process.

By making ice to expand and float, God prevented that disaster. The ice on top of water forms a barrier between the super-cold air of winter and the liquid water beneath the ice.

Ice in History

Ice in Action

Today, gas stations sell plastic bags of ice. Hotels provide ice machines so guests can keep their snacks cool. Planes carry ice so flight attendants can drop some into your cup. Your family’s refrigerator probably includes an icemaker. In the twenty-first century, we can access ice nearly anytime. But that was not always true.

Before the Fridge

For thousands of years, people have known that ice keeps food from spoiling. Before the invention of freezers, ice formed only naturally over ponds, lakes, rivers, and parts of the oceans when the temperature dropped below freezing. That helped in winter, but what about spring and summer?

In the United States, people tried various ways to keep food fresh, including drying it, salting it, and canning it. But blocks of ice did the best job of preserving food’s freshness and flavor.

Ice Industry

Some people still harvest ice from frozen ponds and lakes. Photo by istolethetv (CC BY 2.0).

In the early 1800s, ice became big business. Workmen with special saws “harvested” blocks of ice from frozen ponds and lakes. Using horses, they transported that ice to insulated buildings called ice houses. When packed tightly together, the blocks of ice remained frozen until spring and summer.

Homeowners could buy an insulated cabinet, called an icebox. A block of ice in the top compartment kept food stored below it quite cool. When that block of ice melted, people could buy a replacement from an iceman. Icemen loaded their cart or wagon at an icehouse and then sold the ice door to door on regular routes.

Earth’s Ice Caps

Ice caps are huge glaciers (thick layers of ice and snow) that cover large areas of land. Ice caps form from layers of falling snow that grow thicker year after year. You can find ice caps at earth’s North Pole and South Pole.

How and when did earth’s ice caps form? The answer may be found in Genesis 7:11. During the global flood of Noah’s day, “all the fountains of the great deep burst forth.” The hot water gushing up from deep in the earth made earth’s oceans much warmer than they are today.

Warm water evaporates faster than cold water. As all that warm water vapor cooled and fell, polar regions especially would have built up layers of snow.

Creation scientists believe humongous volcanoes erupted at the end of the flood. The ash that the volcanoes spewed into the atmosphere would have blocked sunlight, cooling the land even more. These events would have started the ice age.

Slowly, as earth warmed, the glaciers melted, but the ice caps still remain in the polar regions. Today, the bright white of the Arctic and Antarctic snow reflects sunlight back into space. This reflection helps to keep earth’s atmosphere cooler.

Has anyone shown you how to make homemade ice cream? (If not, you might need a sundae school!)

Some scientists talk a lot about the ice caps melting due to climate change. They worry that if the ice caps all melt, temperatures and sea levels would rise, affecting crops, animals, and humans. But those scientists are interpreting the evidence and giving frightening predictions because they leave God out of the picture. Even if sea levels rise a bit and temperatures change, we can trust God's promise that life will continue as long as the earth exists (Genesis 8:22).

Chilling Dangers of Ice

Despite its benefits, ice can also cause problems. Just ask anyone who has ever slipped on an icy sidewalk and broken a bone.

Frostbit Fingers

Briefly touching ice with your bare skin is OK, but touching it for a long time can give you frostbite. That’s when skin and underlying tissue become frozen. Severe frostbite requires medical treatment.

Popped Pipes

If water freezes inside pipes, as it expands, the pressure can burst those pipes and spray freezing water everywhere. When water seeps into cracks in a roadway, repeated freezing and thawing can create potholes.

Broken Branches

An ice storm (freezing rain) can coat tree branches with a thick glaze of ice. If the buildup becomes too heavy, the branches can break.

Driving Danger

“Black ice” is a thin layer of ice on a road. Because this coating is clear, drivers see the black asphalt of the road and might not realize they are on slick ice. Black ice causes serious traffic accidents.

Credit for the Cold

The book of Job declares, “By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast” (Job 37:10). It gives God credit as the source of something we probably take too much for granted—ice!

As you better understand God’s Word and how the Lord has worked for your good, you will want to thank him for blessings you never thought about before. Today, thank and praise God for his cool gift of ice.