DAY FIVE “Let the birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” Genesis 1:20
BIRDS… GOD’S ENGINEERING MASTERPIECE
Birds are by far, the most visible of all animals because they are just about everywhere and they are flying all around us. Even in a crowded city you are likely to see sparrows, pigeons, and Sternus vulgaris… European Starlings.
If you climb in the Himalaya you can see ravens pilaging camps at well over 20,000′. And even higher still, snow geese have been seen migrating at over 30,000′. As a birder, there are so many birds that captivate me, but the acrobatic hummingbirds are my favorite. They are truly gems in flight… God’s engineering masterpiece!
Male Ruby Throated Hummingbird
THE BIRDS TEACH US OF GOD
Through the fish and the birds God teaches us what these simple creatures already know, that God is the supreme ruler and provider of all.
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? Job 12:7-9
So, if this is true men, what do birds teach us about God. What lessons can we apply to ourselves? Let’s take a quick look and see…
THE BIRDS TEACH US OF AN INTELLIGENT DESIGNER
One of the greatest feats of human engineering is that of flight. Overcoming gravity and safely flying around from Point A to Point B is a modern invention. But God, on the fifth day of creation, simply spoke birds into existence… BAM! These living, breathing, flying machines are still, in many ways, outperforming the most advanced flying machines that man has ever created.
AVIAN FLIGHT DESIGNS
So how do birds manage to fly? Well, there are many design features that make flight possible but the most important are the feathers and bones which are illustrated below…
DESIGN FEATURE #1 – Insulating
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
DESIGN FEATURE #2 – Aerodynamic
Gulls in Flight
DESIGN FEATURE #3 – Colorful… gives the WOW! to flight
Peacock Nape Feathers
DESIGN FEATURE #4 – Self-Healing
Primary Feather Detail
DESIGN FEATURE #5 – Waterproof
Greylag Goose Preening
DESIGN FEATURE #6 – Breathable
Wispy Down and Filoplume
DESIGN FEATURE #7 – Hollow Bones
DESIGN FEATURE #8 – Fused Bones
The Wishbone… Fused Clavicles
As incredible as these design features are, there’s another layer of complexity that involves the heart, lungs, eyes, and basically everything, that make flight possible. The level of irreducible complexity is staggering! To me, birds are one of the strongest arguements for the existence of an Intelligent Designer.
THE BIRDS TEACH US ABOUT OURSELVES
LESSON #1 – God Loves Us
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
LESSON #2 – God Provides Our Needs
Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food? Job 38:41
“God gives every bird his food, but he does not throw it into the nest.” French Saying
LESSON #3 – God Protects Us
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” Matthew 23:37
LESSON #4 – God Renews Our Strength
But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31
Lesson #5 – God Directs Us
Personal Reflection
Gentlemen, God has a special message for you from these nature observations. Jesus often used nature object lessons to teach deep spiritual truths and it’s still one of the most powerful ways he uses to connect with your heart and mind.
If you will take a few minutes to reflect on what God is saying to you through his “still small voice” you will be blessed with a message for the day.
My Prayer
Dear Father, my Creator and Sustainer,
Through the masterpiece of engineering and through the exquisite beauty of birds, I can see your intelligence and character displayed. You are beyond knowing yet you desire to know me.
You notice when even one sparrow falls so I know you are watching over me. Your holy word tells me through the lives of birds that you love me more than a sparrow, that you provide for me like the ravens, that you protect me like a mother hen, that you renew me like an eagle, and that you direct me like swift.
It is my prayer today that I will be like a bird in your hand of safety and provision today.
Amen
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