He paints the wayside flower,
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
All good gifts around us…
Hymn 332
During a memorial service last spring, the beautiful words of hymn 332 brought to mind a wonderful lesson that we can learn from nature. This is a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the great creator and sustainer, not just of ourselves, but of all things.
The words of the hymn brought to my mind a simple, yet comforting, hymn I had learned on the piano as a child.
God sees a little sparrow fall
It meets his tender view
If God so loves this little bird
I know he loves me, too.
Both hymns probably took on more significance because of an incident that occurred a few days earlier. While working the garden planting flowers and vegetable seeds, we noticed a baby bird that had fallen from its nest and was nestled in the unmown grass. Unable to find the little bird’s abode, and aware of prowling cats, we gently placed this tiny creature of God’s handiwork under a bush with some water to drink.
Guarding it with watchful eyes, we patiently waited, hoping its mother would soon find it. The mother bird did discover her offspring and we no longer needed to fear for the life of the defenseless little one.
As we were watching the bird, Matthew 10:29-31 came to mind: “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore, do not fear, you are of more value than many sparrows.”
If God looked after this helpless baby bird who had fallen from its nest, “How much more to us, His children, will He give us our daily bread.”
God’s blessings to us
Many of us who planted seeds in our gardens this past spring have had the pleasure and excitement of watching them grow and flourish. As we reflect on that growth, let us remember that it is God’s almighty hand that,
“Sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine
And soft refreshing rain.”
Therefore, let us never forget that:
“All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, 0 thank the Lord,
For all His love.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One