"...I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:25-26 (NIV)
This familiar scripture passage was brought to my mind in a powerful way recently while staying with my cousins on Weiss Lake at Centre, Alabama. While taking some solitary time for prayer, scripture reading, and meditation, I prayed for all the needs on my prayer list and then looked out over the lake. I tried to quiet my mind, seeking what the Holy Spirit might have to say to me.
In the stillness and quiet, I became aware of the sunlight glinting on the water and the occasional sound of a motorboat going by. Presently a crane flew across my line of vision. Immediately there came into my mind a passage from a poem I had learned as a child, "To a Waterfowl" by William Cullen Bryant:
He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.
I thought, "Is this a message from the Holy Spirit for me?" I remained in stillness and quietness, continuing to invite the Holy Spirit to touch my heart and mind. Soon another bird flew by- this time it was a large blackbird or a crow. I thought of the passage from Matthew 6 quoted above: "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. Are you not much more valuable than they?"
I concluded my devotional time with a thankful heart, knowing that God had used "the birds of the air" to remind me that if I will only remain close to Him, He will never forsake me nor fail to guide me and supply all my needs.
May we all rest in these comforting and beautiful promises, especially now in these uncertain and troubled times we're living in. May the peace which passes all understanding dwell richly in your hearts, my friends. I will look forward to seeing you again when I return from vacation and continuing education next week!
George Chesnut
Director of Music and Organist