Chapel – 6/9/20
One of my new pastimes is listening to the birds and trying to identify which particular birds I am hearing.
Listening to Birds (My dog Ryder makes a cameo on the bottom right as well)
I have an app from the Audobon Society which organizes the birds I am likely to hear in certain regions and at certain times. The app also comes with images of the birds and recordings of what the birds’ calls and songs might sound like. I must admit that trying to identify the bird by its sound is a challenging task. Not only are there dozens of birds in the area, but each bird has several different calls and songs. But with repetition and practice I have been able to reliably identify Robins, Red-Winged Blackbirds, and Cardinals. It adds so much to my daily walks by being able to say, “Hey, that’s a Cardinal I hear” or “I think that’s a Robin… Yep, it is! I see it over there.”
This morning as I walked and listened to the birds, my mind went to the Bible where Jesus gave some advice to his disciples on how not to worry. It says in Matthew 6:26-27:
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
Jesus was telling them that God’s got this! He takes care of the birds, which as pretty as their songs are, really do nothing other than eat, sleep, and poop. Yet He feeds them and takes care of them. Jesus asks, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” Yes, we are MUCH more valuable than birds. We are so valuable that the very Son of God sacrificed His own life and died on the cross for the sins that WE had committed. And He rose again to show us that we are forgiven and made acceptable to God.
We can let go of our worries knowing that God will take care of us. It’s okay to feel scared, but don’t have to let that fear run our lives. Turn your attention to God’s promises. As Romans 8:31 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” He will take care of things. So when satan tries to use the uncertainty of the world against us and convince us that God has left us, tell him that God promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Turn to the cross and the empty tomb and know that Jesus has the world and us in His strong and capable hands.
In a previous devotion, I urged you to remember your baptism every time that you washed your hands. In the same way, I urge you that whenever you hear the birds sing, think about how God provides for us and cares for us each and every second of the day.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for providing for us. Thank You for all of the things that we so easily take for granted each day. Help us learn from the birds not to be overcome by fear and worry, but to trust You and know that You care for us and will take care of us. In Jesus’ name, who gave Himself for us, we pray. Amen.
Contributed by: Mr. Kevin Streeter