Sunday, April 9, 2017

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands!


Psalm 104:24-30 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

This passage has always been beautiful to me. Small and great beasts, from the tiny ant all the way to the staggeringly large whale shark or elephant...they all look to God their Maker for sustenance and life. Even the dumb animals know to rely upon The Lord! 

I've thought about this a lot this past week... My family and I have been watching a documentary series about the different areas of the earth, (deserts, mountains, jungles, etc.), and the millions of species of creatures that inhabit them. Our planet is absolutely astounding, you guys. Newsflash, I know. ;) But seriously, I'd like to take a minute to talk about a couple of the things I've recently learned about these animals:

  • There is a frog that lives in the jungle, called the Glass Frog...it is microscopically tiny, no bigger than your fingernail. Its skin is translucent, making the internal organs of the frog visible from the outside. The male frog has to guard its eggs for over two months from the literally hundreds of different predators that would love a mouthful of frog eggs for lunch. He will fight off wasps his own size, kicking at them with tiny hind legs, always sticking by his eggs so at least some of them get a chance to hatch. Unbelievable.
  • A particular type of beetle (I can't recall the name), lives in the Namibian deserts, where daytime temperatures can top 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The only water in this incredibly stark environment is found in the mists that sweep the tops of the dunes every morning for a scant period of time. This beetle will climb to the top of the dune every single day, and using its body, distill water from the air. Special grooves in the beetle's body channel the water down to the mouth...it will distill and drink a quarter of its bodyweight before the mists disappear. Oh and by the way, the height of the dune, compared to the beetle, would be like a human climbing 3 Mt. Everests. Just think on that for a minute. 
  • There are chameleons that will sit at the bottom of the sand dunes, waiting for the aforementioned beetles because they KNOW THAT THE BEETLES COMING DOWN ARE JUICIER THAN THE ONES GOING UP.  Okay, I'm sorry guys, this is just incredible to me?!?! 
  • Galapagos marine iguanas are born under the sand a little way inland from the ocean edge. The very instant that they emerge from underground, Racer Snakes (you guessed it--they're really fast), attack. Hoping to make a meal of a baby iguana, they will set up ambushes to catch it as it flees toward the safety of the beach. The tiny iguanas KNOW, even 2 minutes after they are born, that the snakes cannot see very well. They know that the snakes can detect movement, so they freeze. Once it is practically on top of the iguana, the snake will finally realize what's going on, but by this time the baby is off and running again. Sometimes the iguanas will make it to the beach...sometimes the racer snakes get a meal.
  • A bird called the Sandgrouse will fly 120 miles round trip every single day for 2 months....in order to get water for its babies. And how does it carry the water? It flies 60 miles to a water hole, where there are certain hawks that wait specifically to kill and eat sandgrouse. While dodging the talons of the hawks, it will land in the shallow puddle of water and wait while special feathers on it's underside soak up the water. It is a time consuming and extremely dangerous process. After he has soaked up as much as he can (about half his body weight if I remember right), he begins the 60 mile trek back to his family, where the chicks are waiting to drink the water from his feathers.  :O
This is a tiny, tiny sampling of some of the unbelievable creatures out there. Anyone who thinks that there is not a God who perfectly designed these animals for their specific habitat is simply delusional. Or insane. "Willingly ignorant", as The Bible puts it. The instincts that God has built into these creatures are so amazing!!! If He cares enough about a black beetle to give it perfect water grooves, or if He cares enough about an iguana to give it preinstalled knowledge about racer snakes...I think He can take care of you and me. In fact, I am positive that He can. :) 
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

God provides for the smallest of animals, so why do we have so much trouble trusting Him with our lives? Even more sobering question: We are willing to trust God with our eternal destiny after death...so why can't we let Him take care of things while we are alive? I hope some of these things made you think today. We serve a gracious, mighty, and perfectly faithful God Who will never fail to provide for us. Just look at the way he takes care of the rest of creation! Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. :)
Mykaela

4 comments:

  1. "All things were made by him,and without him was not anything made that was made." :) Isn't that amazing??? I've only heard of one of the creatures you mentioned,(the glass frog), but every creature I've ever studied at any length is so unique and special. Recently I did a report on sloths (I chose sloths randomly,just because they were the first thing that came to mind! ;) And even sloths are intricately designed! Everyone knows that sloths are lazy,but do they know why? I didn't! Sloths have a four-part stomach which very slowly digests the tough leaves they eat,(the leaves are actually poisonous, but the sloth's stomach digests them so slowly it doesn't hurt them!) and it can take a month for them to digest one meal. This entire process leaves the sloth with very little energy,so they are one of the slowest moving creatures in the world. Another fun fact that I learned is that while sloths move slowly and clumsily on the ground, they are actually amazing swimmers! :) The physical characteristics of a sloth were especially designed by God for their habitat in the trees. Their curved claws are perfect for holding onto tree limbs,and they can even retain their grip after death! I found it fascinating to study the creature. ;)

    That passage in Matthew 10 is so special to me... It's perfect for so many occasions! I feel so silly for struggling to trust God's care in my life after I read that! :) This post is such a good reminder of God's care for each of His creations!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is so cool, Jenny!! They actually have a piece of Planet Earth 2 that is about three toed sloths, and I was SO amazed at the fact that they swim too! I hadn't known that before! :D I also didn't know that they make a very loud noise that can be heard for miles, while they are looking for a mate. They seem like quiet creatures. ;P So interesting about its stomachs!

      Delete
  2. I love watching this show called Creation In The 21st Century. It's so neat to see how God perfectly designed everything!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will have to look that up, Elizabeth! It is incredible the way that God's design is evident in every single part of the universe!! :O

      Delete

Please make sure your comments are respectful and edifying to all involved! :) Comments are moderated, so if you do not see yours immediately, please wait just a bit for it to be posted. Thank you!