You know what Luther said the little bird said to him? He sat upon a twig of the tree, and he sang-
Mortal, cease from toil and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow.
And it chirped and picked up its little grain, and sang again. And yet it had no granary; it did not have a handful of wheat stored up anywhere; but it still kept on with its chirping-
Mortal, cease from toil and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow.
While kneeling in front of the couch that's located just under the only window in our <400 square foot apartment the other day, I heard a familiar sound. The sound that I heard was the chirping of birds outside of the window. It's possible that they were picking at the blueberry bushes, or snatching sticks out of the gutters to build a nest, or maybe they were just singing because they realized how blessed they are to be unbound by culture and forms. For a moment I envied the chirping birds.
I've heard the birds chirp outside of the window many times before- in fact, it's usually the first sound that I notice every morning that I wake up. This time, however, was different than other times. I heard the birds chirping and found myself greatly convicted, and feeling a bit condemned by the reproof of their harmless song.
The birds outside of my window did not have a care in the world. They weren't worried about where their next meal would come from, or how they would accomplish the tasks of the day that would be set before them; they weren't complaining (the solemnity and harmony of their voices confirmed that), and they weren't striving for anymore than the purpose for which they were created. They were joining in with the rest of creation, harmonizing with all of nature, declaring the glory of the Lord with unbridled, unquestioned obedience to the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Sometimes I find myself caring too much about things that aren't worth the time to care about. It behooves me (and would you also) to consider the sparrow, the lilies, and the birds of the air that gather into barns. The birds (along with the rest of creation) do not worry, they simply give thanks and trust God. I'm reminded of the Scripture in Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep our hearts, and minds through Christ Jesus. Godliness with contentment is great gain and we're of more value than many sparrows.
We have to come to the place that we truly believe that our God is “I AM.” He has “Thrown into space racing planets, whirling worlds and luminous suns; he has created a world with its wonders of animalisms, beauty of flowers, majesty of rippling rills, glassy seas and lofty mountains; he has placed the twinkle in the stars, the sparkle in the planets, and the blaze in the sun. He has stretched out the heavens like a scroll, scooped out the valleys, and piled up the mountains; he's carpeted the earth with verdant green, laced it with running brooks and flowing rivers, he's set the furnace of the sun on fire, called the queen of night into her orbit, and set the stars dancing in the heavens.” (Behold the Man, Francis Lincecome) Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills!
Psalm 19:1-6 (KJV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
To make a long story short: trust the Lord, believe that he is, and don't worry about it. Somewhere in his comprehension of eternity your situation is taken care of. Commit your way to him, trust in him, and he will bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). And above all, take a lesson from the birds chirping outside of your window- praise God, give him thanks, acknowledge him above all else in your life- while taking no thought for tomorrow. Our heavenly Father knows what we have need of and the greatest thought on this side of eternity in regards to prayer is not that God answers prayer; but rather, that God is our Father. Within the capsule of time that we live in, we don't have any time to waste worrying about temporal matters- not when eternal decisions are made in time.
Mortal, cease from toil and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow.
And it chirped and picked up its little grain, and sang again. And yet it had no granary; it did not have a handful of wheat stored up anywhere; but it still kept on with its chirping-
Mortal, cease from toil and sorrow;
God provides for the morrow.
While kneeling in front of the couch that's located just under the only window in our <400 square foot apartment the other day, I heard a familiar sound. The sound that I heard was the chirping of birds outside of the window. It's possible that they were picking at the blueberry bushes, or snatching sticks out of the gutters to build a nest, or maybe they were just singing because they realized how blessed they are to be unbound by culture and forms. For a moment I envied the chirping birds.
I've heard the birds chirp outside of the window many times before- in fact, it's usually the first sound that I notice every morning that I wake up. This time, however, was different than other times. I heard the birds chirping and found myself greatly convicted, and feeling a bit condemned by the reproof of their harmless song.
The birds outside of my window did not have a care in the world. They weren't worried about where their next meal would come from, or how they would accomplish the tasks of the day that would be set before them; they weren't complaining (the solemnity and harmony of their voices confirmed that), and they weren't striving for anymore than the purpose for which they were created. They were joining in with the rest of creation, harmonizing with all of nature, declaring the glory of the Lord with unbridled, unquestioned obedience to the Creator of the ends of the earth.
Sometimes I find myself caring too much about things that aren't worth the time to care about. It behooves me (and would you also) to consider the sparrow, the lilies, and the birds of the air that gather into barns. The birds (along with the rest of creation) do not worry, they simply give thanks and trust God. I'm reminded of the Scripture in Philippians 4:6-7: Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep our hearts, and minds through Christ Jesus. Godliness with contentment is great gain and we're of more value than many sparrows.
We have to come to the place that we truly believe that our God is “I AM.” He has “Thrown into space racing planets, whirling worlds and luminous suns; he has created a world with its wonders of animalisms, beauty of flowers, majesty of rippling rills, glassy seas and lofty mountains; he has placed the twinkle in the stars, the sparkle in the planets, and the blaze in the sun. He has stretched out the heavens like a scroll, scooped out the valleys, and piled up the mountains; he's carpeted the earth with verdant green, laced it with running brooks and flowing rivers, he's set the furnace of the sun on fire, called the queen of night into her orbit, and set the stars dancing in the heavens.” (Behold the Man, Francis Lincecome) Our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills!
Psalm 19:1-6 (KJV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
To make a long story short: trust the Lord, believe that he is, and don't worry about it. Somewhere in his comprehension of eternity your situation is taken care of. Commit your way to him, trust in him, and he will bring it to pass (Psalm 37:5). And above all, take a lesson from the birds chirping outside of your window- praise God, give him thanks, acknowledge him above all else in your life- while taking no thought for tomorrow. Our heavenly Father knows what we have need of and the greatest thought on this side of eternity in regards to prayer is not that God answers prayer; but rather, that God is our Father. Within the capsule of time that we live in, we don't have any time to waste worrying about temporal matters- not when eternal decisions are made in time.
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