Our lives are often beset with upsets and troubles. Yet, so many times, we do not choose to look at what is soothing and uplifting. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we have a choice as to where we center our attention (Philippians 4:8).
Though many mistakenly believe that they can or should “go it alone” in life, we fare far better when we have help. Are you feeling alone—perhaps vulnerable? That doesn’t need to be the case. The Apostle Paul also stated that God would never abandon His people—those who sought to follow His ways (Hebrews 13:5).
Those who heard Jesus Christ preach lived under the harsh rule of the ancient Roman Empire. At times, their lives seemed monotonous, without the expectation that things might get better. Jesus reassured them:
… I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:25–26).
God takes care of anyone who surrenders to His will. God will provide for their needs and preserve them so much more than He has done for mere birds. He will take care of us as we face upsets and troubles.
Where do birds go when storms come? Birds are distinctly adaptable to foul weather. They are small enough to find shelter from rain, snow, and wind in tree hollows, in thickets near the ground, and among many man-made structures. They store up additional fat just before the arrival of bad weather, and their legs and feet do not lose heat due to heat transfers in their unique lower circulatory system.
God has also made birds able to avoid oncoming natural disasters:
A flock of birds flew away from its nesting site days before there were any signs of danger and well before forecasters predicted the arrival of a massive storm system that spawned 84 confirmed tornadoes…. by the time [meteorologists] were sure it was coming, the birds had already figured it out and were gone (NBCNews.com, December 18, 2014).
He has indeed equipped the birds of the air so that their needs are taken care of!
The Creator warns us in advance as to what we can expect to see in the years just ahead. He makes provision for those who are His, and we can’t afford to be without His guidance and protection as current downward trends in this age continue. “Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast. How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 36:6–7).
If God takes care of birds, will He not also take care of us?