What Birds Can Teach Us About God's Heart

Good morning Immanuel. Jesus invites us to learn about God's goodness by watching birds!

“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:23)

Photo by Niklas Veenhuis on Unsplash

Recently, a few birds built their nest just outside the window of our front porch. Soon after, eggs appeared, and eventually, the hatchlings emerged, eager to eat. Every day, my family looked out the window to see the chicks do nothing but sit with hungry mouths open as worms and other critters were dropped into their awaiting mouths. The Lord provided for them, and it was a lesson for us as well.

When Jesus wanted to strengthen the anxious hearts of His disciples, He called upon them to observe God's goodness and care, evident in creation - "consider the ravens." Anxious toil does not explain how the ravens are sustained daily. They owe their ongoing lives to the providential care of a good God who upholds His creation.

And Jesus wanted His disciples to work out the logic - “How much more.” If the goodness and care of God is evident in His provision for birds, how much more for us who are made in His image and redeemed in Christ? Of how much more value are you than the birds! Dear Immanuel, we live day by day under the care of our Creator and Redeemer. Indeed, we have been joined to Christ, who is our life.

With this truth in mind, we can, as the Heidelberg Catechism affirms, be "patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and with a view to the future, we can have a firm confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature shall separate us from His love..."

Praise be to God!

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A fun resource to check out: The Birds Our Teachers, by John Stott.

Book Overview: A lifelong bird watcher, beloved theologian John Stott took seriously Jesus' exhortation: "Behold the fowls of the air." When he wasn't preaching, teaching, or writing, Stott spent much of his free time traveling and observing birds in their natural habitat. This volume contains his compilation of photos and thoughts inspired by the majesty and beauty of the birds, and the Biblical and moral lessons they can teach us.