Tag Archives: God’s Care

Birds of the Bible – How Many Sparrows?

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House Sparrow by Ray

While working on updating the indexes to the Birds of the Bible-Sparrows, I came across an interesting question. How many Sparrows are mentioned in the Bible? I discovered a previous search I had started from the Bible Gateway website.

The Young’s Literal Translation found 6 verses mentioning Sparrows.

Psalm 84:3 – “a sparrow”

Hosea 11:11- “a sparrow”

Matthew 10:29 – “two sparrows”

Matthew 10:31 – “many sparrows”

Luke 12:6 – “five sparrows”

Luke 12:7 – “many sparrows”

House Sparrows visiting National Aviary Parrot Show by Lee

House Sparrows visiting NA Parrot Show Outside by Lee

Okay, so what, you might ask? One, it challenges you to actually study what’s in the Word of God. It is also nice to see what the Bible actually says about the Sparrows and how that impacts us. Try using a website like e-sword.net or Biblegateway.com, and do a little investigation of these questions:

In Psalm 84:3, where was the sparrow and what was she doing?

Hosea 11:22, why was the sparrow trembling?

Matthew 10:29 and 31, what assurance can we get from that verse?

Luke 12:6, who remembers the sparrows?

Luke 12:7, what has been numbered? What about fear?

Female Chipping Sparrow bird feeding three baby Chipping Sparrow nestlings, Athens, Clarke County, GA. by William Wise

These are just some of the previous posts about these little Avian Wonders:

To find out more about Sparrows:
Birds of the Bible – Sparrow I
Birds of the Bible – Sparrow II
Birds of the Bible – More Value
Birds of the Bible – Little Brown Jobs
Birds of the Bible – Worry and Sparrows
Birds of the Bible – Lord Who Is There
Eye of the Beholder – House Sparrows
Sparrows Peterson’s Video
His Eye Is On The Sparrow (Birds in Hymns)
The Eyed Sparrow
Mighty God, While Angels Bless Thee (Birds in Hymns)
The Birds, the Economy, and My Provider – by April Lorier
Sparrows and God Care – by April Lorier
Ian’s Bird of the Week – Masked Finch
World Sparrow Days – by a j mithra
Worthen’s Sparrow – Lost, but found… – by a j mithra
White-crowned Sparrow – The Restorer – by a j mithra
Renewed Day by Day: Signs of Spring
Sparrow Quote from The Life Project ~ from Don Merritt
Sunday Inspiration – Old World Sparrows
Sunday Inspiration – Sparrows
Sunday Inspiration – Sparrows II
Emberizidae’s – Buntings
Emberizidae – Part II
Emberizidae Family Allies I
Emberizidae Family Allies II

 

Good News Tracts – Various Topics

Jesus And Birds – Birds Not Sowing

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Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) with Hoard or Grainary WikiC

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) with Hoard or Grainary WikiC

Wow! Where does time go? With all this craziness over the Coronavirus and the uneasiness of our country, time gets away from me. Maybe I need to listen to what Jesus was saying about not being anxious. This is the 4th mention of birds by the Lord while here on earth. 1st Cleansing Of Temple was the last in this series. That was back in May.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26 NASB) [emphasis mine]

Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala) ©WikiC Feeding

Coppersmith Barbet (Psilopogon haemacephala) ©WikiC Feeding

This time we have the much quoted, and taught, lesson about the feeding of birds of the air. Mathew 6:25-34 is a favorite passage of mine. The Lord encourages us to relax and put our trust in Him. LOOK!!! at the birds, I take great care of them. I WILL ALSO take great care of you!!

Clothes? Look how HE feeds and dresses the birds! Even the plants, are so beautiful.

“And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.” (Matthew 6:27-29 NASB)

QUIT WORRYING!

“But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?‘ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matthew 6:30-32 NASB)

So, how do we quit worring, Look to Jesus and His Kingdom. First by accepting Him as our Savior, and then learning to trust fully in His care and provisions. No, the food won’t fall out of heaven, but the Lord will provide us the means of providing what we can. Then we need to depend on Him to provide whatelse we need. (Not always what we want)

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34 NASB)

Gospel Message

 

Does an Eagle Carry Its Young on Its Wings?

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Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by Aesthetic Photos

Here is a great article from Answers in Genesis that tells about the Eagle and their young. We have used these passages here, but Troy Lacey has done quite a bit of research about this. It is definitely worth reading.

“Deuteronomy 32:9-14 is an inspiring passage which speaks of God’s care for Israel. Written by Moses at the end of the wilderness wandering, just before the Israelites would cross the Jordan river into the land of Israel, it speaks of God’s past care for the Israelites. In the middle of this passage (verse 11), Moses speaks of an eagle’s care for its fledglings as an obvious analogy of God’s care for Israel during this time.

This verse has become a popular topic for sermons and a much-copied inspirational social media post. But has the verse been misunderstood, misapplied, or misused? There have even been charges that this verse is not accurate and thus is a “Bible error.”…

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) by Nikhil

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) by Nikhil

Does an Eagle Carry Its Young on Its Wings? To read the rest of the article.

“For the LORD’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. “He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, So the LORD alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him. “He made him ride in the heights of the earth, That he might eat the produce of the fields; He made him draw honey from the rock, And oil from the flinty rock; Curds from the cattle, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs; And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the choicest wheat; And you drank wine, the blood of the grapes.” (Deuteronomy 32:9-14 NKJV)

Not to take away from this article, but we know that birds have been known to catch a ride of the backs of eagles:

Crow on Eagle’s Back ©©

Answers in Genesis

Good News Tracts

Lee’s Three Word Wednesday – 5/17/17

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Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) with young ©WikiC

HELP FROM TROUBLE

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“Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.” (Psalms 60:11 KJV)

Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) with young ©WikiC

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More Daily Devotionals

CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE DANGER – Repost

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Black-capped Chickadee on snowy conifer

Black-capped Chickadee on snowy conifer

CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE DANGER

“And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)

Millions of North Americans are familiar with the call of the Black-Capped chickadee: “Chicka-dee”. However, most bird-watchers know that the little chickadee communicates danger with its “chickadee-dee-dee” call. Bird-watchers also know that chickens use different warnings for dangers from the air or from the ground.

Scientists decided to see if chickadees used specialized calls for different dangers. In their first experiments they used a stuffed hawk to see what the chickadees in an outdoor aviary would do. However, they were only fooled once, and after that researchers had to use live hawks. After studying over 5,000 responses, a pattern emerged. Small, agile raptors like hawks are more dangerous to chickadees than, say, a large, horned owl, which the chickadees can easily evade. When confronted by a smaller raptor, the birds’ “chicka” call added up to four “dee”s in rapid succession, instead of two more leisurely “dee”s. Even more “dee”s might be added if the chickadees evaluated the danger as greater. Most frightening to the little birds was a pygmy owl that rated 23 “dee”s.

God cares for all His creatures and, knowing that predation would enter the creation with man’s sin, provided them with ways to warn each other. He also gave man His Word to warn us how to avoid sin and how to escape from it through Jesus Christ, should we become entrapped.

Prayer:
I thank You, Lord, for Your protection from all the dangers we face, especially the danger of our sin. Amen.

Notes:
Science News, 6/25/05, pp. 403-404, S. Milius, “Dee for Danger.” See also: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/black-capped_chickadee/sounds

Creation Moments ©2016 – Used with permission

Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) ©WikiC

Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) ©WikiC

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More articles about these Avian Wonders:

Tiny Yet Tough: Chickadees Hunker Down for Winter

Black-capped Chickadees Fed by Hand

Sunday Inspiration – Tits, Chickadees and Penduline Tits

Birds Vol 1 #5 – The Black-capped Chickadee

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Lee’s One Word Monday – 2/8/16

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CONSIDER

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Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? (Luke 12:24 NKJV)

Little Raven (Corvus mellori) Juvenile Calling to be fed the grub its mother just caught ©WikiC

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Sandra’s New Kooky Challenge

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Sunday Inspiration – Sparrows

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Saffron-billed Sparrow (Arremon flavirostris) by Dario Sanches

Saffron-billed Sparrow (Arremon flavirostris) by Dario Sanches

Are not two little sparrows sold for a penny? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s leave (consent) and notice….Fear not, then; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29, 31 AMP)

In honor of World Sparrow Day, which was March 20th, today we can enjoy the Lord’s creation of His Sparrows.

Sparrows belong to two families; the Passeridae – Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches and the Emberizidae – Buntings, New World Sparrows & Allies. The photos in the slideshow is from both of these families. Scripture doesn’t divide them and neither are we.

The Lord has promised that even though they (sparrows) are common or little thought of by some, in His Eyes, they are seen and not forgotten. That is such a blessing for us, especially those of us who have accepted Him as Savior.

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, (Luke 12:6-8 ESV)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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The Whole Creation Has Been Groaning………..

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Anole on Fence - Carolina Anole ©WikiC

Anole on Fence – Carolina Anole ©WikiC

For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (Romans 8:22)

The following is not one of my latest stories, but because it concerns one of God’s creations I dare to let you see it. Many people would laugh at me and, by the way some of my happenings can be seen as being laughable….even unbelievable!

About two years ago, when I was living in West Palm Beach, I was going through a difficult time. I well remember the few days when I used to sit outside and read. Lizards, as you Americans know, are a well-known sight and one particular lizard came down from the tree at the back of me and hid behind the drain pipe. It kept peeping at me from one side of pipe to the other. I took little notice!

The next day, same lizard, came across the lawn and performed once more. Maybe it wanted to grab my attention, but then it was only a common lizard.

On day three the same lizard ( or so I believe ) scampered across the lawn and commenced to do its tricks from behind the drain pipe. However, I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, reminding me of the Scripture in Jonah 4: 7 how that God appointed a worm to attack the gourd that was sheltering Jonah. Could it be that God had sent a lizard to tell me that He would be with me and never forsake me. despite my difficult circumstances? I felt it necessary to put may tongue out at him and if he responded I would know that God was in this strange situation!

But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered. (Jonah 4:7)

Anole Lick ©WikiC

Anole Lick ©WikiC

The next time my little friend popped its head out and looked at me, I put my tongue out at him. Immediately out came a big orange tongue like a small balloon! Then this ‘appointed ‘ lizard disappeared, never to be seen again. A few days later I was admitted into Wellington Hospital with a virus which took me off my feet. I knew that God was aware of all my circumstances even to the most minute detail.

Peter England

(One of this blog’s readers and commenter)

Green Anole – Wikipedia

Lee’s Addition:

This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. (Psalms 119:50)

Thanks Peter for an interesting story and inspiration.

Peter is one of our reader’s and comments often. He lives in the U.K. at the time. He has some more tales that will shared later. The one about his encounter with a blackbird will be published soon.

I am always willing to use guest writers. If you have something to share, let me know. I can be reached at Lee@Leesbird.com

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“A Cardinal Sits With Me” ~ by Sandra Conner

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“A Cardinal Sits With Me” by Sandra Conner (Re-post)

This is a delightful poem by Sandra.

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A Cardinal Sits With Me

CARDINAL - HOLLINGSWORTH - BFPA Cardinal sits with me at end of day.
It is a bleak, unhappy time,
And I have lost my way.

He seems content to stay a while and rest,
And my front porch is cool with shade,
Sun moving to the west.

To read the rest of A Cardinal Sits With Me.

Vol 2 #2 – To A Water-Fowl

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Black Swan and Wood Duck female - Lake Morton 6-28-12 by Lee

Black Swan and Wood Duck female

TO A WATER-FOWL

Whither, ’midst falling dew
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
Far through their rosy depths dost thou pursue
Thy solitary way?

Vainly the fowler’s eye
Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,
Thy figure floats along.

Seek’st thou the plashy brink
Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocky billows rise and sink
On the chafed ocean side.

There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast—
The desert and illimitable air—
Lone wandering, but not lost.

All day thy wings have fanned,
At that far height, the cold thin atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land
Though the dark night is near.

And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and nest,
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,
Soon o’er thy sheltered nest.

Thou’rt gone, the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form; yet on my heart
Deeply has sunk the lesson thou hast given,
And shall not soon depart.

He who from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.

William Cullen Bryant.

Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) by Ian

Cape Barren Goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) by Ian

Lee’s Addition:

Storks know when to fly south. So do doves, swifts and thrushes. But my people do not know what I require them to do. (Jeremiah 8:7 NIrV)

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; (Job 12:7 NKJV)

Wikipedia say this of Waterfowl They “are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans.
They are strong swimmers with medium to large bodies. They have historically been an important food source, and continue to be hunted as game, or raised as poultry for meat and eggs. The domestic duck is sometimes kept as a pet.

Some definitions of the term ‘waterfowl’ include the saltwater shorebirds or waders, gulls, pelicans, and herons, as well as seabirds such as the albatross, but ‘fowl’ especially refers to birds used by humans for game.

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Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited – Introduction

The above article is the first article in the monthly serial that was started in January 1897 “designed to promote Knowledge of Bird-Live.” These include Color Photography, as they call them, today they are drawings. There are at least three Volumes that have been digitized by Project Gutenberg.

To see the whole series of – Birds Illustrated by Color Photography – Revisited

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(Information from Wikipedia and other internet sources)

Next Article –  Gambel’s Partridge

The Previous Article – The Turkey Vulture

Wordless Birds

Links:

Anseriformes Order

Anatidae Family

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Black Rosy Finch – The Grace Seeker..

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Black Rosy Finch – The Grace Seeker ~ by ajmithra

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©©Michaelandhelencox

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©©Michaelandhelencox

The Black Rosy-Finch breeds in the high mountains of the northern Great Basin. This encompasses the area from northeastern Nevada to southwestern Montana. It is not a long-distance migrant, but moves to lower elevations away from the breeding area as snow cover increases. In some winters these flights reach southward to Colorado, New Mexico, and rarely Arizona and California. Although population appears to be stable, it is uncommon over its very small breeding range.

The Black Rosy-finch breeds on the barren tundra of mountain summits, usually on rocky or grassy areas and near glaciers and continual snowfields. It winters at lower elevations in open areas such as fields, cultivated lands, roadsides, and human-made structures. Departure to higher elevations from the wintering grounds is by April. Nest building occurs between mid-June and mid-July, in a crevice or hole in near-inaccessible locations such as on vertical cliffs. The nest is made of grasses, moss, and sometimes feathers mixed with grass and animal hair, and contain four to five eggs on average. The diet consists of seeds of grasses and weeds except in summer when supplemented by insects.

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©WikiC

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©WikiC

These birds seem to know the secret of living in secret. They know that living on mountain summits, would be inaccessible for its predators. When the name of THE ROCK becomes our strong tower, it not only becomes inaccessible but also impossible for satan to even locate us.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. (Psalm 18:10)

There is not only protection on the rock, there is honey in its crevice too.

But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you. (Psalm 81:16)

The Black Rosy Finch builds a cup nest in a cavity on a cliff. Most birds migrate short distances to lower elevations and further south and return to the alpine areas in April. These birds forage on the ground, may fly to catch insects in flight. They mainly eat seeds from weeds and grasses and insects, often in areas where snow is melting, uncovering food items and new plant shoots.

God fed the Israelites with the dew wrapped Manna, bread of the angels.. God’s goodness is fresh each new morning and His goodness is like morning dew, underneath His dew lies our due. But do we seek for His dew every morning? Remember, as the sun goes up, the manna melts. His goodness too would melt if we don’t seek Him early in the morning isn’t it? When His dew melts our lives dry up..

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away. (Hosea 6:4)

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©©Michaelandhelencox

Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) ©©Michaelandhelencox

They often feed in small flocks, as the male will defend its female’s territory during breeding season, not just the nest but where ever she goes. This behavior is common with the rosy finches. When breeding both males and females develop throat pouches, known as gular pouches or gular skin, to carry food to their chicks.

God’s flock too is small, for He has promised to be present where two or three are gathered. These male birds remind us of how our Lord too defends our territories, though we haven’t yet taken steps to breed for the extension of His kingdom. We have an awesome God, who not only defends our territories but also followed us where ever we went and ended up giving His precious life for you and me.. What a mighty God we serve!!

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9)

Your’s in YESHUA,
a j mithra

Please visit us at:
Crosstree

ajmithra21

See more of aj’s articles – Click Here

Nice photo of a Black Rosy Finch

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Birds Of The Bible – Gull With A Broken Wing

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Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (Matthew 10:29 KJV)

Yesterday, Dan and I went to Lake Hollingsworth in Lakeland, FL for a little birdwatching and to just enjoy the day. It was around 77 degrees and a few clouds were hanging out. Just another beautiful day from the Lord. After walking as far as I could, we turned around and retraced our steps back along the southern shore of the lake.

My legs are doing much better, praise the Lord, but I still have issues. I stopped to rest a minute and spotted a Laughing Gull along the shore. Something in its appearance didn’t seem right, so I got up to investigate. (They have benchs along the way.) What I found was that the Gull had a wing hanging down and I assume it was broken. It appears to be an immature Laughing.

Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

The bird walked up by the tree and kept dragging it’s wing as you can see in the third photo.

Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

Laughing Gull Imm injured wing

I know that verse has been many used times here with the Birds of the Bible articles, but it still applies so well. That verse popped into my thoughts while observing the Gull’s situation. The verse mentions the Sparrow, but all birds were created by the Lord and it applies to them as well. I do not believe that He is only aware of just Sparrows that fall. God is ever-present, all-knowing, and all-powerful, so how could God NOT KNOW?

We know that verse was used to encourage those being persecuted (v.23) to not fear, knowing that the Father is aware of what they were experiencing. They did not need to worry about someone who could destroy their soul. (v.28) The passage goes on to reassure them that they are more valuable than sparrows or birds.

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:31 KJV)

Not sure if Gulls “worry.” but that immature bird was in a very precarious situation. Without that wing he (or she) was very vulnerable to what could happen to it. There was a Red-shouldered Hawk flying by and I believe that that might be the tree it landed in when we went by the first time. I was trying to get its photo, but it flew off. I didn’t notice the Gull then. When we noticed the bird on the way back, the Hawk was still flying in the area.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary says this about verse 31: “for their (the persecuted) Father was truly concerned for them and aware of their circumstances. He is aware of the death of a sparrow which is worth so little. Two sparrows were sold for a mere penny (assarion, a Gr. copper coin worth about 1/16 of a Roman denarius, a day’s wages). God the Father also knows the number of hairs on a person’s head (Mat_10:30). The apostles were instructed not to fear for they, being far more valuable to God than sparrows, were seen and known by Him. ”

Believer’s Bible Commentary: “10:30, 31 The same God who takes a personal interest in the tiny sparrow keeps an accurate count of the hairs of the head of each of His children. A strand of hair is of considerably less value than a sparrow. This shows that His people are of more value to Him than many sparrows, so why should they fear?”

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33 KJV)

We should not be afraid to tell others about the Saving Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor that we believe that God is the Self-Existent, All-Knowing, All-Powerful, Ever-Present, Loving (He gave His Son to die for our sins.), Creator of the world and all these birds, critters, and us.

What will be the fate of the Laughing Gull? I have no clue, but God already knows all about its situation, but better yet, He knows all out us and our situations and circumstances. He cares and wants us to put our trust in Him.

Sharing The Gospel

And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. (Isaiah 33:6 KJV)

See more Birds of the Bible

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