I recently observed a large flock of Canada geese take to the sky. At first, the grouping was a honking, flapping mass of feathers and beaks and wings as dozens of birds struggled to become aloft. Then, as they soared higher and passed across my field of vision, they all worked together in perfect unison to form a V, with one goose leading the way in front of the pack. It was like watching a beautifully choreographed ballet with each dancer playing their part.
“How do they know how to do that?” I whispered.
Most science scholars shrug and say it’s just instinct – that it’s ingrained in them to perform that behavior. I agree with the instinct part. But how did those birds obtain that instinct in the first place and then pass it along to further generations without the first flying lesson?
We as believers already know the answer to that question. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (NIV)
God, in His infinite wisdom, knew that Canada geese would need to fly long distances to warmer climes during the winter. So he instilled in them a flight pattern that would make the going easier.
A single goose, usually a young male, takes the lead. The others then take their cue on either side of the leader, each bird taking its place behind and slightly above the one in front of them until a V-pattern is formed. Scientists say the V-pattern creates an aerodynamic flow that cuts wind resistance and allows the birds to conserve energy on long flights. When the lead goose tires, he allows himself to fall back and another takes his place.
Like the master watchmaker that knows every dial and gear of his final creation, how much more does our Heavenly Father know the innermost workings of our hearts and minds, his ultimate creation that He loved so much He sent His Son to die on a cross to redeem us!
“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?” Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
Our fears, joys, hopes, sorrows, failings, dreams - God knows them all. If He cares enough to make a goose’s trip South in the winter easier, surely He will always take care of us, no matter what the circumstance.
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