I was thinking of Jesus’ words: “Don’t worry. Look at the birds… Your Heavenly Father cares for them. Aren’t you much more valuable than them?” (Matthew 6:25-26, PAR). (The Psalmist had a similar meditation that Jesus may have drawn from, Psalm 104:12, 17, 27-30).
And they inspired me to sit down and do some bird watching while I prayed today as I was alone with Jesus in the quiet for a few hours. As I watched and listened to what was going on above my head, Jesus spoke to my heart.
Don’t misunderstand me. The Lord’s voice didn’t come to me like lightening filling the sky. And I didn’t see an angel. At first many things distracted me: lawnmowers and grass blowers, a cold wind blowing, my own concerns and worries. But I kept looking at the birds in the heavens (the lowest level of the kingdom of the heavens is the air right around us) and I kept listening.
I discovered that indeed I was alive in the Kingdom of God with the Trinity, the angels, Christ followers – ancient and present – and all of God’s creation, including the birds who were God’s messengers to me on this day.
Here’s what I heard Jesus whisper to me:
Don’t Worry: Listen to the Birds
Don’t worry: Look at the birds;
Trust my Father as they do,
Feeding each day from his hand.
Don’t worry: Listen to the birds;
Rest in my Word as they do,
Sitting quietly and alone on the Branch.
Don’t worry: Learn from the birds;
Sing with my angels as they do,
Harmonizing with the choruses of heaven.
Don’t worry: Live like the birds;
Fly with my Spirit as they do,
Responding to the currents of my Breath.
Don’t worry: Love like the birds;
Gather with my friends as they do,
Traveling in formation as my flock.
For more help overcoming worry, read: Why the Birds Don’t Worry.
