A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope,
encouragement and exhortation.
Daily
Encouragement on
Friday, March 15,
2019
Snow Goose
Robyn Waugh, a friend from Kleen-Rite, took this stunning photo at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area here in Lancaster County. Each spring over 100,000 snow geese stop by Middle Creek on their journey north. (Notice all the geese in the background.)
"A
Consideration Of Ornithological
Anxiety"
(Do Birds Worry?)
(Do Birds Worry?)
Message
summary:
Have you ever wondered
if birds worry?
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27).
The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in northern Lancaster County is a top tourist attraction during this season. There are some 100,000 snow geese that stop over in the area each Spring on their migration trip north. They converge on the mountain lake at dusk and in a roaring blast take off at dawn. It's really quite a remarkable sight. Tourists come in from all over the world just for this spectacle.
One observer describes it like this, "From far away, it could be a patch of water lilies gone wild, gobs of bobbing, floating whiteness atop a glistening 400-acre lake. Then you get closer and see the tiny specks of black on the edge of what are surely wings, being untucked by what is most definitely a pinkish bill. Then you hear the raspy, discordant honking, louder than an army of 18-wheelers, commanding your eyes to an upward blizzard of birds eclipsing the sky."
We've been to Middle Creek on numerous occasions and each time obey a commandment of Jesus when we join hundreds of other spectators who observe these birds. Jesus commanded us to "Look at the birds of the air". In the context He was giving a teaching about worry.
Have you ever wondered if birds worry? Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted a study from 2009 to 2011 to see whether chickadees spend more time worrying about lack of food or whether they might be eaten by a predator. They determined it was food. The skeptic in me however wonders how they determine whether a bird worries or not! (We've wondered this about our pets as well.)
Worry is a condition that is present when trust is lacking and we become overwhelmed with a sense of our present and future needs. We really suspect the animal kingdom essentially lives with no cognizance of the future thus no worry. But it's our awareness of the future that causes us to worry, which really expresses a lack of trust in our heavenly Father. Jesus, in the same context of our daily text, said "O you of little faith" (Matthew 6:30).
What meticulous care God exercises to provide for the birds. But consider how much greater value we are to God than these birds. Jesus told us so! The One who has so marvelously provided for the birds of the air is certainly more interested in those made in His own image. Hope rises up within the believer as he contemplates the words of the hymn, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!"
God's love for us is abundantly demonstrated in the way He cares and provides for His creation. My prayer is that you will experience the wonderful peace of God today as you rest in the divine care of our loving Father. Worry can be such a detriment in our walk of faith and will rob us of the supernatural peace that is God's blessing for His children. It will strengthen our Christian witness as others see us trusting in God instead of fearing the unknown. Perhaps today you will want to personalize this truth by properly proclaiming, "I will not be afraid, for I am worth more than many sparrows." And we sure are!
Listen to our message on your audio player.
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27).
The Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in northern Lancaster County is a top tourist attraction during this season. There are some 100,000 snow geese that stop over in the area each Spring on their migration trip north. They converge on the mountain lake at dusk and in a roaring blast take off at dawn. It's really quite a remarkable sight. Tourists come in from all over the world just for this spectacle.
One observer describes it like this, "From far away, it could be a patch of water lilies gone wild, gobs of bobbing, floating whiteness atop a glistening 400-acre lake. Then you get closer and see the tiny specks of black on the edge of what are surely wings, being untucked by what is most definitely a pinkish bill. Then you hear the raspy, discordant honking, louder than an army of 18-wheelers, commanding your eyes to an upward blizzard of birds eclipsing the sky."
We've been to Middle Creek on numerous occasions and each time obey a commandment of Jesus when we join hundreds of other spectators who observe these birds. Jesus commanded us to "Look at the birds of the air". In the context He was giving a teaching about worry.
Have you ever wondered if birds worry? Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted a study from 2009 to 2011 to see whether chickadees spend more time worrying about lack of food or whether they might be eaten by a predator. They determined it was food. The skeptic in me however wonders how they determine whether a bird worries or not! (We've wondered this about our pets as well.)
Worry is a condition that is present when trust is lacking and we become overwhelmed with a sense of our present and future needs. We really suspect the animal kingdom essentially lives with no cognizance of the future thus no worry. But it's our awareness of the future that causes us to worry, which really expresses a lack of trust in our heavenly Father. Jesus, in the same context of our daily text, said "O you of little faith" (Matthew 6:30).
What meticulous care God exercises to provide for the birds. But consider how much greater value we are to God than these birds. Jesus told us so! The One who has so marvelously provided for the birds of the air is certainly more interested in those made in His own image. Hope rises up within the believer as he contemplates the words of the hymn, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!"
God's love for us is abundantly demonstrated in the way He cares and provides for His creation. My prayer is that you will experience the wonderful peace of God today as you rest in the divine care of our loving Father. Worry can be such a detriment in our walk of faith and will rob us of the supernatural peace that is God's blessing for His children. It will strengthen our Christian witness as others see us trusting in God instead of fearing the unknown. Perhaps today you will want to personalize this truth by properly proclaiming, "I will not be afraid, for I am worth more than many sparrows." And we sure are!
Said
the Robin to the
Sparrow:
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”
(Elizabeth Cheney, Streams in the Desert).
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”
Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”
(Elizabeth Cheney, Streams in the Desert).
Be encouraged
today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, I want
to look to the
words of Jesus
when He warns us
of the perils
that come with
worrying. It is
common knowledge
that worry will
damage our
health and can
even lead to an
early death. It
will consume our
thoughts and
taint our
outlook in
everything we
endeavor to do.
It will hinder
our productivity
and affect the
way we relate to
others. Help us
to remember that
worrying does
not contribute
to the solution
but only creates
other
troubles.
The answer to
our problems is
to place our
hope and trust
in You by
seeking first
Your kingdom and
Your
righteousness.
In the process
of seeking You
above all else
You bring
perspective,
direction, trust
and supernatural
peace into the
most troubling
circumstances.
Only You can
make a roadway
in the
wilderness and
only You can
open a door that
has been closed.
Nothing is
impossible with
You, Father.
Our friend, Doris High, took this photo on a foggy morning drive through the Middle Creek Wildlife Area in northern Lancaster County.
I took this photo several years ago at Middle Creek Wildlife Management area.
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer:
Father, I want
to look to the
words of Jesus
when He warns us
of the perils
that come with
worrying. It is
common knowledge
that worry will
damage our
health and can
even lead to an
early death. It
will consume our
thoughts and
taint our
outlook in
everything we
endeavor to do.
It will hinder
our productivity
and affect the
way we relate to
others. Help us
to remember that
worrying does
not contribute
to the solution
but only creates
other
troubles.
The answer to
our problems is
to place our
hope and trust
in You by
seeking first
Your kingdom and
Your
righteousness.
In the process
of seeking You
above all else
You bring
perspective,
direction, trust
and supernatural
peace into the
most troubling
circumstances.
Only You can
make a roadway
in the
wilderness and
only You can
open a door that
has been closed.
Nothing is
impossible with
You, Father.
Our friend, Doris High, took this photo on a foggy morning drive through the Middle Creek Wildlife Area in northern Lancaster County.
I took this photo several years ago at Middle Creek Wildlife Management area.
Our
neighbor Doug took
this photo of a
local Bald Eagle
that nests along
the Susquehanna
River about 5
miles from our
home (as the eagle
flies straight).
Today's
Suggested
Music and Supplemental Resources
I just read this
sobering report while preparing
this message and am reminded of
just how different life is for so
many who follow Jesus on this
planet. "11 Christians
Killed Every Day for Their
Decision to Follow Jesus"
"His Eye Is On The Sparrow" Video Selah
What do birds worry about? (Article) Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted research from 2009 to 2011. The purpose of their study was to see whether chickadees spend more time worrying about lack of food or whether they might be eaten by a predator.
Snow Geese at Middle Creek (Article)
Finally today:
Today we will be serving lunch to the children at a one room Amish schoolhouse, always a rewarding experience!
This Saturday evening we look forward to attending the inspirational show "Jesus" at the Sight and Sound along with a backstage tour courtesy of Jordan, a young man that Brooksyne taught in Sunday School some 15 years ago!
"His Eye Is On The Sparrow" Video Selah
What do birds worry about? (Article) Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted research from 2009 to 2011. The purpose of their study was to see whether chickadees spend more time worrying about lack of food or whether they might be eaten by a predator.
Snow Geese at Middle Creek (Article)
Finally today:
Today we will be serving lunch to the children at a one room Amish schoolhouse, always a rewarding experience!
This Saturday evening we look forward to attending the inspirational show "Jesus" at the Sight and Sound along with a backstage tour courtesy of Jordan, a young man that Brooksyne taught in Sunday School some 15 years ago!
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