God Knows One Little Bird ~ Psalm 104

“Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty…You who laid the foundations of the earth, so that it should not be moved forever…He sends the springs into the valleys; they flow among the hills, they give drink to every beast of the field…by them the birds of the heavens have their home; they sing among the branches…” Psalms 104:1,5,10-12 (NKJV)

Several months ago, I heard a Pastor say, “Sometimes you just have to walk away from the crazy circumstances, confusion and chaos of life and step into the center of God’s creation and cherish all of its calming beauty.”

I like that! In fact, I need to do that way more often than I do.

Last week, though, I did just that. I walked away from the craziness of overwhelming circumstances of life, from the confusing news feeds and social media postings, from the crushing reports of illnesses and deaths around the world, and from the growing chaos as sin and evil is running rampart around me. I just wanted to get away from it all. If even for a few moments.

So, I opened the back door of my house, and stepped out into the back yard. I instantly found peace and calm there. Surrounded by the shade of a giant pine tree, the colors of flowers growing in the garden, and the soft hues of color from a sunset that was about to cast its rays of great delight. As I walked about the yard, I drank in the beauty of God’s creation around me. It brought joy to my eyes and calm to my heart. And then, I spotted “It” – over there in the corner, somewhat behind that 40 foot pine tree looming ever so large above “it” in an attempt to watch over “it” and keep “it” safe.

My friends – – allow me to introduce you to our newest backyard friend, “It” – –

“It” is a baby hummingbird that I found on the ground underneath our big pine tree. I also found the dismantled nest that had blown out of the tree when a gust of wind whistled through its branches. As well, I discovered three other eggs. One crushed, one empty, and one that contained a dead bird. “It” was so tiny, so scared, and so unsure of what to do – but he is just too cute! It was love at first chirp!!

I called for my husband, Andy, to join me and see this new addition to our backyard. Within minutes, Andy picked him up and got him settled in a container on the table under the porch. He was protected there. Protected from the wind, the summer heat, and especially from our little dog, Max! “It” is a welcome addition to the many other hummingbirds that visit our yard on a daily basis.

Andy worked diligently trying to get “It” to eat a little food from a syringe. We cheered him on, when at last “It” experienced success in that feeding task. We talked with “It” and he would chirp back; each of us unable to understand the other. We watched as he flapped his wings in a first attempt to get them moving, and we struggled with the desire to help him, but knew he had to learn for himself. We shared one thing in common, though, we wondered where “Mama” was. Was she hiding somewhere in that big tree? Could she see us attempting to care for her little one? Would she come and help her little one that so badly needed his Mama?

Several times a day, my husband and I would go out and check on “It”. He became more familiar and less frightened of us. He grew to trust us. After all, we became his cheering squad as he ate, slept, and grew. Sometimes we would go out there and find him still on the table where we left him. Other times, it was clear that he was trying to fly a little, but only landed on the ground, looking up, hoping someone would help him up once again. I’m telling you, “It” is just too adorable!

Max, our little dog, found him, one day (at the same time I did) down on the ground, hiding behind a flowerpot on the porch. Happily, I got to the scared little bird before the dog did. Who knows what would have happened. I’ve been doing my best at teaching Max some manners, but in this incident, who knows what a dog might do? We picked him up and placed him once more on top of the table.

“Where, oh where, little “It” is your Mama?”

For days, I looked for “Mama” – I could hear her chirps. I could hear the fluttering of the hummingbird wings, but couldn’t see just where that sound was coming from. I knew she must be somewhere in the garden for she often came to the bird feeders we have hanging on the porch and she would build her nests safely up in the pine tree. I could only hope that “Mama” was coming to see her baby when we were inside the house. I hoped so. I prayed for “Mama” to come to her little one.

Then one morning, I went outside to greet the early morning sunrise, and who should I see, but “Mama”!

I sat on the porch for well over an hour. Watching. Smiling. Laughing. A sense of calm delight filled my heart as I watched these two precious little birds, these beautiful creations of God’s.

I truly had stepped out of the chaos of life into the calmness of God’s creation. I was blessed by the beauty that I saw. Thrilled at the love of Mama to her child. Delighted to have the opportunity to witness something so special. On my back porch.

In my Bible reading, over the few days that all this with “It” was transpiring, I had been spending time looking at Psalm 104. Here was recorded the Psalmist’s song of praise to the God of creation. I read this portion of Scripture several days in a row and with each reading I thought of “It” and “Mama” and how God gave Andy and I the opportunity to see these two so up close and personal. I thought about how Andy and I could so easily help to feed and care for “It” and how God was smiling down on all of us.

You know, it is so true. Sometimes we just need to walk away from the chaos…. and step into God’s creation and enjoy the view. That is exactly what the Psalmist did when he wrote this portion of Scripture. I would invite you to grab a Bible and read this Psalm, in its entirety, for yourself. Spend some time there, picturing it all in your mind’s eye. Or better yet, step outside into God’s creation and read it with His beauty all around you. But for now – – just listen to these descriptive words:

“You who laid the foundations of the earth…You covered it with deep waters…they went up over the mountains, they went down into the valleys to the place You have founded for them… He sends springs into the valleys…they give drink to every beast of the field…He waters the hills…He causes grass to grow for the cattle…The trees of the Lord are full of sap…where birds make their nests…the high hills are for the wild goats; the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers…He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knows its going down. You make darkness…in which all the beasts of the forests creep about, the young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God…O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions…”

The Psalmist speaks in reverential awe of the God of all creation. He speaks highly of the One who made all things for us to enjoy. I’m sorry to admit this, but, all too often, I am way too wrapped up in the chaos, the confusion, the circumstances of life. And, I am sure, that disappoints my God. He desires us to spend more time with Him, more time enjoying His creation, more time being open to receiving His blessings. Sometimes we just need to walk away.

God sent “It” into our backyard, for such a time as this. Over these past few days, I’ve had time to walk away from the chaos, to step into God’s world for a few moments of time, and enjoy the beautiful sights before me. And, for a few brief moments of my day, I can sing with the Psalmist before the God of all creation. I can offer to Him my song of praise for the wonderful things He has created for me to enjoy.

“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the Lord.”

I praise God for sending “It” to our backyard. After about a week now, he is still finding shelter on the table, on the porch, underneath the big pine tree that provides him with shade throughout our hot summer days. He is growing bigger and stronger each day. He will feed from whoever wants to feed him. He has been checking out more of the garden around him. We know, all too well, that one day “It” will find his wings and fly away. He’s welcome in our garden anytime. The bird feeders will always be full. There’s a place of refuge here in the midst of God’s creation for a special hummingbird called “It”.

Little did I know when I found “It” that God would use one of his precious creations to teach me a great lesson. “Sometimes you just have to walk away from the crazy circumstances, confusion and chaos of life and step into the center of God’s creation and cherish all of its calming beauty.”