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Category: God’s Creatures

Always a Hop Ahead

Always a Hop Ahead

Granted, there are a lot of rabbits in the Midwest.  But we saw one almost everywhere we went on our recent vacation!

I didn’t think much about it at the time because … well, there are a lot of rabbits in the Midwest.  However, as I think about it now, I see a subtle, simple message from the Lord.  Perhaps I’m making too much of this, but I find a comforting truth wrapped up in it nonetheless.

Wherever we went there were cottontails … just as wherever we went there was God. 

At my father and mother-in-law’s place – a cottontail.  At my parents’ place – a cottontail.  At my son and daughter-in-law’s place – a cottontail.  While with my other son – a cottontail.  Here a cottontail, there a cottontail, everywhere a cottontail!

And, yes, as stated earlier, there are a lot of rabbits in the Midwest.  But even so, this seemed a bit over the top.  The bunnies kept appearing, and sometimes in the most unlikely places!

I don’t know if this was a special message from the Lord.  Perhaps that’s a stretch.  But I do know that the concept is true; wherever we were and wherever we were going, God was there.  Just like the rabbits, God was always a hop ahead of us.

When planning the vacation, the Lord provided extremely reasonable plane tickets for us, and even a rental vehicle for the three-week trip, which were/are in extremely high demand.

When the entire vacation was questionable due to my wife’s and my unfortunate injuries prior to the trip, the Lord made a way for us to go, and sustained us both throughout our travels. 

When I nearly didn’t make it to our gate at SeaTac because of my weak legs, the Lord supported me down the final stretch.  And then he graciously provided a wheelchair when we arrived in huge O’Hare Airport in Chicago.

When my sister and her family had to suddenly find a new home just before we arrived, and our son and his family had to do the same, (both situations putting our time together at risk), the Lord guided both families to new homes in a remarkable and timely fashion.

When other sisters were traveling great distances to be with us, at fairly significant inconvenience to themselves and their families, the Lord blessed their travels and made it happen.

When a day for both sets of great-grandparents to travel to see their great-grandchildren was set, the Lord blessed us with lovely weather.  The next day wasn’t nearly as pleasant.

When the semi driver didn’t see us and pulled his rig over, threatening to side-swipe us, the Lord was there, keeping us from a serious accident.  (As he was with all the other near incidents during our many miles of driving.) 

When I aggravated an injury to the point of being questionable to preach the next morning, the Lord was there with miraculous healing.  (Truly, it was a miracle!)

When a nasty bug swept through some of the family while we were all together, the Lord sustained us and brought everyone through it in a few days. 

When we had limited time to visit friends on our last Saturday away, the Lord positioned my former associate pastor’s home and my former Seminary roommate’s home literally blocks away in the same town, making our day extremely efficient and convenient.  (We had no idea this was the case when we made arrangements to visit them.)

When we hadn’t seen some family members for many years, the Lord streamlined the details to enable us to see both sets of parents, all of our siblings and many of their spouses, a number of our nephews and nieces, and even some cousins!  Furthermore, the Lord enabled us to have all of our immediate family together, including our three grandsons, for a number of days.  What a blessing!

This list could go on and on.  The point is, almost everywhere we went we saw another bunny, and we witnessed God’s loving protection and provision.  Remarkable!  The Lord was always a hop or two ahead of us.  As he always is!

In Isaiah, the Lord promised his captive people that he would deliver them and go before them. “… The LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).  What a blessed assurance this promise must have been to the believing Jews in light of all the uncertainty before them.

David was inspired to write about this same concept with these beautiful words about the Lord: “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.  If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast” (Psalm 139:7-10).

God is always with us.  That doesn’t mean that everything will go smoothly or as we desire, but it does mean that we will never have to go through anything alone.  What a wonderfully comforting truth!

So the next time you see a rabbit, I hope it reminds you (and comforts you!) that the Lord is always a hop ahead of you!

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When Crows Come Calling

When Crows Come Calling

Is there a more reviled bird in America than the crow?  Crows are large, and largely unattractive.  They are the bullies on the block in the bird kingdom, and their caws are as ear-grating a sound as one is likely to hear from any winged creature.

On a personal note, they bring plenty of irritation to my little plot in Tacoma.  The crows perch in strategic locations around the yard waiting for the opportunity to finish whatever happens to remain in our dog’s dish.  They surreptitiously swoop in and gobble large chunks of the seed blocks I put out for the other birds, and the one time I tried suet, the crows gorged themselves, demolishing it in a day.  Furthermore, they incessantly foul our bird bath by dunking whatever morsal of food they intend to eat, transforming the water into strange-colored quagmires.

Not only are the birds a nuisance, but they seem to be everywhere!  In fact, they are virtually everywhere; crows can be found on every continent of this planet except for Antarctica, and in every habitat, both rural and urban.  BirdLife International estimates the number of crows residing in America to be 31 million.  So obnoxious, yet so abundant!

To say that I’m not fond of crows would be an understatement.  Consequently, it irritates me to have to admit that crows are actually quite remarkable.

Crows are extremely intelligent – perhaps the most intelligent bird on earth.  In regard to brain-to-body ratio, crows rank first in the bird world.  Crows are able to make and use tools.  They are able to solve puzzles, strategize moves, understand similarities and differences between objects, and comprehend cause and effect.

I have personally witnessed crows fly to great heights over our street and drop nuts onto the pavement below to break them open.  If the shell didn’t crack, the crow simply ascended higher and higher until finally successful.  In Japan crows have been observed tucking walnuts in front of car tires while the vehicles were stopped at a red light.  When the cars moved forward, the tires crushed the nutshells.  Then, when the light turned red again, the shrewd birds retrieved the nutmeat. 

Crows are also gifted with a remarkable memory … which is unfortunate for anyone crows deem to have wronged them.  In an experiment in Seattle, a group of scientists wore masks while they captured seven crows.  The birds were later released.  However, whenever those birds spotted the same masks again, they attacked whomever was wearing them, and so did a bunch of their buddies!  Meanwhile, other masks were ignored.  Two years later the crows still attacked the offending masks.  They remember faces too; antagonize a crow and it will recall your mug for up to five years!

Yes, these ebony omnivores are intelligent.  It is not uncommon for them to outwit other creatures to grab an easy meal.  Working in pairs, one will distract a bird or animal parent while the other grabs an egg or newborn.  Or one crow will yank a predator’s tail to allow another crow to snatch their kill.  (Not very nice, but certainly effective.) 

Furthermore, crows have about 250 distinct calls, and they use different “dialects” in different areas.  Visiting crows in the new locale will actually mimic the local “language.”  Amazing!

Generally, most people aren’t excited to see crows.  Some even look upon crows as harbingers of bad news.  In the same way, most of us aren’t eager to see troubles in our lives either.  Just like crows, problems seem to be everywhere.  They are ugly and obnoxious, and we really would rather avoid them altogether. 

But similar to crows, there is more to difficulties than immediately meets the eye.  God put the crows here for a reason.  (As scavengers alone, crows devour a significant amount of dead animals and pesky insects!)  God also allows hardships to impact us for a reason.  Actually, for many reasons!

Just a few of the blessings the Lord brings through our difficulties might be to bring us to repentance (2 Cor. 7:10) or to draw us closer to him (Psalm 145:18); to foster deeper relationships with others (Ecc. 4:9-10); to provide spiritual insights we wouldn’t learn otherwise (Psalm 119:71); to prepare us to minister to people who experience the same problems (2 Cor. 1:3-4); to be a godly example (Mt. 5:16); or to impress upon us the emptiness of this world and the fullness of the world to come in heaven (2 Cor. 4:17-18). 

Crows, and problems, will certainly come calling.  But our God provides some wonderful encouragement to us in his Word:

“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7).

Quietly Fierce

Quietly Fierce

What animal might best picture God?

The Bible actually uses a number of animal similes and metaphors for the Lord.  The Lord described himself as an Eagle of rescue for his people (Ex. 19:3-4), and as a hen desiring to gather her chicks (Lk. 13:34) by Jesus.  There are also striking and well-known pictures of our Savior; he is the ultimate Scapegoat (Lev. 16:20-22) and the Lamb of God (John 1:29), as well as the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5).  Then, of course, there is the Dove of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 3:16-17).

If something is in the Bible, then we know it’s “legit.”  And ultimately, the Lord is incomparable.  Nevertheless, I like to think of our God as an animal that isn’t even mentioned in the Scriptures.  Might an appropriate animal metaphor for the Lord be … the wolverine?

Wolverines recently made national headlines.  A mother wolverine and her two kits were photographed inside Mt. Rainier National Park.  This is newsworthy indeed since only 300 to 1,000 wolverines are estimated to live in the lower 48 US states!  In fact, wolverines haven’t been documented in the park for over 100 years.

This iconic animal disappeared almost entirely from the United States.  In the past, wolverines were often trapped for their exquisite thick, oily fur, which is frost resistant, making their pelts highly sought after for the lining of cold-weather coats and hats.  They were also shot on sight or poisoned as vermin.  Loss of habitat contributed to their decline as well.  As a result, by the 1930s there were none to be found in Washington State, and few existing anywhere in the lower 48.

But they are slowly making a species comeback, and are actually coming back (literally) to areas where they haven’t existed in a century. 

The wolverine is the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family, though it tends to resemble a bear more than its smaller relatives.  Typically about 2-3 feet in length with an additional half-foot tail, the animal usually weighs between 12-55 pounds … smaller than many dogs. 

But the wolverine is a power-packed animal – stocky and muscular and pre-assembled with an attitude.  Under its short legs are large paws with powerful partially-retractable claws.  Consequently, the animal can scamper atop the deepest snow and climb almost anything from trees to rocky cliffs.  God also gave wolverines the special ability to tear off meat from carcasses that have been frozen solid, a crucial trait due to their diet, habitat and lack of hibernation.

In her 2013 article on wolverines in the Seattle Times, Lynda V. Mapes shared a quote from Shawn Sartorius, a wildlife biologist based in Helena, Montana. “They are the superheroes of the animal world.  When you follow the tracks of these things, you see they are not taking the easy way around; they will go straight over mountaintops, craggy peaks, the rockiest, steepest, cliffiest place; they will go right over that in the middle of winter, at night.”

Perhaps the calling card for the wolverine, however, is its reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size.  Usually wolverines subsist by scavenging carrion, but they are also highly effective predators.  Their prey is typically smaller mammals, (including other predators!), but they have also been known to take down animals much larger than themselves.  There are documented instances where wolverines killed full-grown deer, elk, moose, and even bison!

Ferocious indeed!  In her Seattle Times article, Mapes also shared a quote from John Rohrer, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service based in Winthrop, WA.  “When you see one in a live trap you never forget it.  They are growling, trying to bluff you; they are not cowering in the corner.  If you crack open the lid they are charging and coming up to the front, snapping their jaws and drooling. They put on quite a show.”

Why might I think the wolverine is a fitting picture for God?  Of course, the wolverine has limitations while the Lord is limitless in power and ability, so it’s certainly not a perfect analogy. Still, there are some striking similarities.  I would summarize them in this way: like the wolverine, the Lord is unobtrusive, often un-observed, unafraid, undeterred, and undergirded with unmatchable strength and ferocity.

Most people don’t generally notice the Lord, aren’t looking for him, or dismiss him altogether as passive, timid and weak.  But our God is unafraid of anything and undeterred when it comes to saving and serving his people.  God will not be stopped until he accomplishes his goal.  (If you doubt this, turn your gaze to Jesus on the cross!)  And when God intercedes, it is with unmatchable power and unstoppable zeal. 

The Lord asks, “Who is like me and who can challenge me?  And [who] can stand against me?” (Jeremiah 49:19).  The obvious answer is … no one! 

Kind of like a wolverine.  Quietly fierce.

God’s Holy Sense of Humor?

God’s Holy Sense of Humor?

Platypus.  The name has to be among the strangest in the animal kingdom.  The animal itself, however, is even stranger than its name.

The platypus sports a bill like a duck, a tail like a beaver, and fur and feet like an otter.  The webbing on its feet is retractable for when it ambles around on land.  The males carry a venomous spur like a scorpion on their rear feet, and the females lay eggs like reptiles or birds.

When fully grown, a platypus is about 15 inches long, not including the 5-inch tail.  An adult weighs about 3 pounds.  They only populate parts of Australia.

Platypuses are graceful swimmers.  They paddle with their front webbed feet and steer with their hind feet and beaverlike tail.  The creatures have dense, dark-brown fur that helps them stay warm underwater.  Folds of skin cover their eyes and ears to prevent water from entering, and their nostrils close with a watertight seal.  They can remain submerged for several minutes.

The skin of their “duckbill” holds thousands of receptors that help the platypus navigate underwater and detect the electric fields generated by all living things.  They sweep along the bottom of rivers, streams, ponds and lakes using electrolocation to find hiding shellfish, insects, larvae or worms which they then carry to the surface to eat.  Electrolocation is a rare trait among animals in general, but especially so among mammals. 

The platypus has baffled scientists from the beginning.  When the first platypus specimen was sent back to England in 1799, zoologist George Shaw’s initial conclusion was that the animal was a hoax.  He actually attempted to pry the bill off the body in his search for the threads that held it in place. 

The platypus is such an aberration that it took taxonomists more than eighty years to classify it.  Though finally designated a mammal, its skeletal construction resembles a reptile, with pectoral girdles and splayed legs.  Laying eggs is certainly reptilian, and is certainly un-mammal-like.  Being an egg-layer lands platypuses in the extremely rare mammal class called monotremes, a characteristic they share only with spiny anteaters.  The additional matter of being venomous is yet another incredibly rare attribute for mammals.  (One can begin to see the challenges to classifying the platypus!)

In 2008, scientists were able to decipher the entire DNA of the duck-billed platypus and discovered that it shares genes with reptiles, birds, and mammals.  Not surprising based on its appearance and characteristics, but extremely upsetting to evolutionists.

Long before the troubling (to evolutionists) DNA information, biologists struggled with the complexities of the platypus.  In 1992, Australian biologist, Michael Archer wrote, “Indeed, evolutionary scientists are baffled about the ancestry of the platypus.”  A former Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, (Francis S. Collins), admits: “At first glance, the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident.”

Studying the platypus, Australian zoologist Dr. Susan Lee eventually developed a different hypothesis.  She postulates that a tear in the space-time continuum allowed extraterrestrial life to enter Australia, introducing a deluge of freak animals into the “Land Down Under.”  (She’s serious!)  The platypus was the animal that moved her to settle on such an unusual conclusion.  She states that the platypus “makes no sense from a biological standpoint.  It looks like a beaver and a duck had [an offspring].  It’s far too [ugly] to be a product of evolution.”  And if it couldn’t have evolved, then how else could it come to be except by extreme circumstances?

Interestingly, according to what he wrote while visiting Australia, it seems that Charles Darwin actually began to consider his evolutionary hypothesis while examining the corpse of a platypus.  The animal, along with some of the other exotic creatures he encountered in that country, sparked doubt in his mind that one Creator made all of the animal kingdom with its multiple and strange variations.

Of course, most evolutionists discount God altogether.  Charles Darwin, still a Christian when he examined the confounding platypus, clearly underestimated the capacity of the Lord.  Which is truly sad.

Elihu in the book of Job says this:  “God does great things by his power.  Is there any teacher like him?  Who can tell him which way he should go?  Who can say to him, ‘You did wrong’?  Remember that you should praise his work”  (Job 36:22-24 – God’s Word).  That’s wise advice. 

So what does the muddled-up, complex, and unique … but fascinating, wonderful, and delightful platypus show us about the Lord?  First of all, that the Creator is indeed creative!  He has unlimited imagination.  Secondly, he isn’t bound by the preconceptions of humans; God makes his own rules.  Additionally, he is exceedingly wise, and every creature created by the Creator is “good”  (Genesis 1:25).  And finally, that God has a holy sense of humor. 

I doubt that the Lord laughs at the futile and foolish attempts of humans to sound wise; it’s too tragic.  But he could.  I suspect that he at least smiles as biologists try to make sense of the platypus.

Consider the Birds

Consider the Birds

The birds at our place have it pretty cushy.  We have multiple bird houses hanging from the eaves on the north side of our house.  There are also three different styles of bird feeders – all regularly stocked – in the back yard.  (Four if one counts the hummingbird feeder.)  A birdbath is another provided amenity.  In addition, there is an abundance of trees and bushes for the birds to perch in.  Plus, we don’t own a cat, and we do own a large dog who effectively keeps cats away, but who ignores the birds.

Consequently, we have a fair share of birds flitting about our place.  We regularly notice Turtle Doves (not Mourning Doves, but Turtle Doves!) and various types of Blue Jays pecking up seed on the ground.  Towhees, Northern Flickers and Varied Thrushes are sometimes seen clinging to the feeders.  Grosbeaks make appearances now and then, as do Finches and even occasionally Goldfinches.  Chickadees and Juncos are regulars.  But the most common diners at our seed dinners, by far, are the sparrows.  They are also the boarders at our bird hotels, so it’s natural that they would be the most frequently sighted. 

But then, that’s what I expected when I started catering to the birds.  After all, sparrows are everywhere, right?  As a matter of fact, there are at least 35 types of sparrow species in North America, with 15 of the species living in most areas of the nation.  There are sparrows everywhere.  They are the epitome of commonplace. 

Actually the sparrow population is declining somewhat.  No one is quite sure why, although there are many theories.  Nevertheless, house sparrows are still probably the most abundant bird in the United States, with a population estimated as high as 400 million.  (Which averages out to 1.2 sparrows for every person in the nation.)  Declining or not, that’s a lot of birds! 

Realize that sparrows are found around the world.  I couldn’t find an estimate on what that number might be.  But if 400 million live in the United States, well … yeah, it must be a HUGE number. 

With that in mind, consider Jesus’ words:  “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows”  (Luke 12:6-7).

Not one of the 400 million sparrows in our nation are forgotten by God.  Nor does one fall to the ground unless the Lord allows it (Matthew 10:29).  The same is true for the sparrows around the world, however many billions of birds that might be.  Now that’s absolutely astounding!

Jesus adds an interesting side-note as well.  God even knows the number of hairs on our heads!  (For the average person, that would fall somewhere between 100 – 150 thousand strands!)  Now consider that our nation’s population is projected to be 333,546,000 in the 2020 consensus.  That’s a whole lot of follicles for the Lord to keep track of, just in the United States alone!  But still, God’s got the exact count.

Let’s take this concept even further.  A while back two scientists decided to estimate the total number of birds on the planet.  The number they came up with was 200 to 400 billion individual birds.  Compared to almost 8 billion people on earth, this amounts to about 25 to 50 birds per person.  And not one of those birds is forgotten or falls without God’s direction either. 

Same goes for all the animals.  And all the insects.  And all the fish.  And all the people!

The point of sharing all these mind-boggling numbers is not to convince you that God’s got too much to handle.  Quite the opposite!  Rather the point is to demonstrate how magnificent our God is!  This keeping track of the sparrows … and everything else … is routine stuff for the Lord. 

Jesus makes the same point.  “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 than food, and the body more 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?”  (Matthew 6:25-26).

One of my most dearly loved things is the sound of birds chirping in the quiet of the morning.  Whether home or away, a person can be confident that if he or she is outside, or can hear the outside, then they will hear the birds greet the morning with song. 

The sparrows are constantly chirping.  They are always fed and housed by the Lord, and their very existence is sustained by Him.  They have nothing to worry about, so they don’t.  Instead, the sparrows praise the Lord, their Provider, incessantly. 

Consider the birds.  There is much we can learn from them!