Encouragement - THE HEAVENS DECLARE

THE HEAVENS DECLARE

From the tiniest Hummingbird to the massive Condor, our skies are alive with the sound of God’s music.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork (Psalm 19:1)."

David may have thought twice about writing that statement if a red-breasted alarm clock went off outside his bedroom window at four every morning.

If I can catch the robin that wakes me up, I’ll rewire his brain so he stays in the nest until at least 7:30. Eight o’clock would be better.

Then there’s that noisy crow. I’m convinced the robin wakes him up to take over when redbreast’s vocal chords give out.

It’s like the second world war song "Oh How I Hate To Get Up In The Morning." Older Life Lines readers will remember the lyrics: "One day I’m going to murder the bugler. One day they’re going to find him dead. And then I’ll get the other pup, the guy who wakes the bugler up, and spend the rest of my life in bed."

Seriously, now, David likely had a chorus of birds to wake him up in the morning, and delighted in every chirp and cheep. A missionary in Central America told me she woke up each day to a morning medley of birds running around on the tin roof of their cottage.

Imagine, for a moment, what it would be like if no birds sang. Why, we’d be able to hear the roar of traffic going by, and of aircraft flying over. We’d even be able to hear the television without cranking it up to ear-splitting volumes. But wait! We can do that now. The difference is it would be nothing but dead sound without the music of our feathered friends.

Herring Gulls squawk as they soar over our home. Cardinals and saucy Blue Jays flash their brilliant colours as they fly by, and often land for our enjoyment in a nearby tree. Sparrows cheep, and Crimson Finches sing a song no man could hope to imitate.

High in the sky the skree, skree, skree of eagles directs our eyes heavenward, to watch them soar effortlessly on a thermal, as the song from the musical "Oklahoma" says, "Making lazy circles in the sky."

The honking of Canada Geese sends us to the nearest window to watch as a graceful V forms, then fades into the distance.

Then there’s the Redwings, the Killdeer, the Grackles and Starlings, all vying for attention in their own marvellous way. The shining flash of a Goldfinch, the intense orange of a Baltimore Oriole, and the black and red of the Scarlet Tanager all remind us of David’s song, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork."

Imagine again, this time considering what the future holds. The apostle Paul wrote, "No one has seen, nor heard, nor even imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9)." But the prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse of it. He wrote, "The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the baby goat, and a little child shall lead the calf and the young lion and the fatling together. The cow and the bear shall feed, their young ones will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox (Isaiah 11:6-7 Author's translation)." And we might add, the most ravenous hawk will be gentle as a tiny Junco.

That’s all ahead of us in the world tomorrow, yet even today we can sing with David, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork."