Friday, August 6 Consider the Birds of the Air

Jesus tells the crowd that has gathered on the side of this mountain to “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them….. "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Matthew 6:26-29)

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus cites creation as evidence for why we can trust him. The Psalmist says it like this

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2

Paul, in Romans, reminds us that creation not only declares the control and compassion of the Father who sustains all that He has created, but it points is to the future hope that we have in him.

Romans 8:18-25:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Take a moment this morning to look around you, to see the beauty in God’s created world, the uniqueness of each individual person and the “birds of the air” that surround you, allow them to serve as a reminder that the One who gave us life and formed our bodies is faithful and able to provide for our needs now and in the future.

As you enter into a time of prayer this morning, begin by praying that God would give you “eyes” to see the subtle reminders that God places all around us and in doing so enable you to “seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness” trusting that “all these things will be give to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Sterling Moore
Pastor of High School Ministries