How Do They Know?
By Susan Klein
“But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and
they will tell you…”
Job 12:7 (NIV)
One of the things I look
forward to every spring is the return of my favorite birds. I have several feeders
outside my kitchen window allowing for great viewing of the orioles, hummingbirds,
Indigo Buntings, and other migratory species.
As I watched them
feeding over my morning coffee, I wondered, “How do they know to return every
spring?” I also realized that when I forget to fill the feeders, the birds completely
disappear. But when I go to refill them a few days later, the birds immediately
return. How do they know the feeders are full again?
Some ornithologists
believe that the earth’s magnetic field and the position of the stars
contribute to the birds’ migratory patterns. Others claim it’s an internal
clock that prompts their return. Still others admit it’s just a “mystery.” As
for feeders, most birds have to see food to know it’s there, not relying on
smell.
I believe it is a “mystery”
- - how they know these things - - but one God has purposely designed in birds to
instruct us about Himself. Jeremiah
8:7 tells us that “the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons and the
dove, the swift and the thrush observe their times of migration.” While God equipped the birds with instinctual wisdom, He's given
us signs in the sky, as well as abilities to discern the times and the seasons (Genesis 1:14).
For example, in the
book of Psalms, the writer observes that even the sparrow finds a home where
she can build a nest, near God’s temple altar. He goes on to say that
similarly, we too are also blessed if we make our homes in God’s house. [1]
Another illustration
is found in Matthew 23:37, when Jesus laments over Jerusalem, stating, “How
often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.” Similarly, He longs to
protect us and gather us to Himself, if we will allow Him.
And, Jesus teaches
us how God always provides food for the birds, even though they don’t know how
to store it up like other animals do. He goes on to remind us not to “worry”
about our food or clothes, that we are more valuable than the birds are, and
need to trust that He will always provide for us as well. [2]
Want to discover
more about God through His amazing winged creatures? There are over fifty Scripture
references pertaining to birds just waiting to be explored!
GOING DEEPER:
1. How can you see more of God
through His creation in your neck of the woods?
FURTHER
READING:
[1] Psalm 84:3-4; [2] Matthew 6:23-27; Romans 1:20
Susan is married to Mark, and co-leads an in-home small group.
She serves as a mentor to young women, and is a member of Oakwood’s Peace Team,
helping people work through conflict.
