"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. There is no speech or language where their
voice is not heard." (Ps. 19:1-3)
It's a rare experience to be in a place where you cannot hear any type of
manmade sound. These exceptional times are far from silent, however. This is
when you really notice how loudly the birds sing, how sharply the squirrels
chatter, how noisy the creek is, how boisterous is the call of the bullfrog, and
if you listen carefully, you may even hear the hum of a honey bee or the rustle
of leaves where a baby rabbit has bounded for cover.
It takes more effort to hear these sounds in the city, but if you focus your
mind on the sounds of nature, you will hear them.
There is one of God's creatures that is never hard to hear, no matter where you
find yourself: The cricket. You can hear crickets over the noise of the city,
you hear them over the racket of other wild creatures, and if you listen
carefully, you may even hear their chirp coming from some dark corner of your
own home.
All of these creatures, whether in the city or in the wild, have just one reason
to make the noises they make: They are singing to the glory of God! Remember Ps.
19:2,3? "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display
knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."
But wait a moment. Do these creatures have any reason to sing to the glory of
God? After all, crickets are tiny insects. They are so easily smashed by heavy
feet, they succumb to insecticides and poisons left behind by humans, they are
considered a delicacy by many species of birds and reptiles, and even many small
mammals, they are constantly exposed to extreme temperatures, they are at risk
for falling into simple puddles of water and drowning, they are killed by forest
fire, they get smashed into headlights and windshields of passing cars . . . And
the list could go on. If you think about it, crickets don't have very good lives
at all.
Yet despite everything, crickets chirp constantly, and all to the glory of God.
Why?
Because their lives are completely in God's hands, and they feel secure there.
We, as humans, have far fewer natural enemies, yet so often we let the tiniest
problem keep us from glorifying God. The next time we are faced with worries,
even of the tiniest kind, let's remember the cricket. Then let's remember Jesus'
words:
"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. If that is how God clothes the grass of the
field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not
much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What
shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans
run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:28-34 NIV)
Instead of spending your time fussing and worrying, take some lessons from the
cricket. Give God the glory, even when you are in the midst of serious trials,
and you will discover the peace of mind and heart that can only come by handing
your problems over to Jesus.
Lyn Chaffart
, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The
Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website
devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org , with
Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.