My good friend Bruce Arnold sent me this beautiful picture yesterday. An amateur photographer, he often sends me pictures and one of his favorite topics is that of “birds”. I was impressed by the beauty of this picture, especially when I realized it was the best of a series of ten attempts using different lenses. He must have been captivated by this hawk to work so hard at this project. All I know is that I absolutely love this picture. The color, contrast and even the shading amazes me.
When I think about birds, this passage from the New Testament comes to mind…
Matthew 6 ( World English Bible )
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
25 Therefore, I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
26 See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?
27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?
28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin,
29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t he much more clothe you, you of little faith?
31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient.
Initially, I thought of verse 26, ( see above ) but then I began to think of its meaning within its context ( verses 24-34 ). The GOD of all the universe cares for all of HIS CREATION, from the lowliest creature that ever crawled upon the face of the earth to that majestic hawk pictured above or even to human beings like myself. GOD cares, and he especially cares for those of us who have submitted ourselves to HIM as LORD and MASTER.
I remember the Cuban missile crises of the 1960’s and how much fear there was. Today, we are once again faced with the prospect of Thermonuclear war, but this time there is enough destructive power to obliterate the entire world many times over. I do not know what will happen to the world, but I do know GOD and that HE loves and provides for me, for I am worth more than many, many birds- even those as majestic as that hawk. God has given me today and what HE gives me tomorrow is up to HIM, so I will not worry; God has everything under control!