Creation Reference: Birds flying overhead
Visible Verse: Ecclesiastes 10:20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Creation Reference: Bird
Visible Verse: Psalm 91:3-8Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Creation Reference: Eagle
Visible Verse: Psalm 103:1-5Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Science: Selected as the national emblem of the United States in 1782 by Congress, the Bald Eagle symbolizes freedom and wilderness to many people. The pair of Bald Eagles on the front of this card were fishing along the shores of Prior Lake in Minnesota on a late fall day, on their way south to warmer climates. They are not picky eaters, but will feed on a variety of mammals, birds, and reptiles, whether found dead or alive. However, their preference is for fresh fish and they can often be seen actively watching from a perch or soaring above the water, waiting for a fish to come into view. To see a Bald Eagle swoop down inches above the water's surface and grab a fish in its talons is an amazing site to behold! Watch for Bald Eagles and their cousin, the Osprey, soaring above lakes and streams or actively watching from a high perch near fish-filled waters.
Creation Reference: Eagle
Visible Verse: Isaiah 40:30-31Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Creation Reference: Feeding Bird
Visible Verse: Matthew 6:25-27“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
Science: The jungles of Central America are full of fruit and insects, the food of the Black-cheeked Woodpecker pictured on the front of this card. This bird, photographed near Gallon Jug, Belize, was drinking juice through a hole it had drilled in the side of an orange. With a diet like that, the Black-cheeked woodpecker need not worry about where its next meal will come from!
Application: Jesus instructs us to release ourselves from the worries of this world. These worldly cares weigh us down and disrupt our joy in God. How do we find release from worry over lost jobs, unpaid bills, health concerns, and our children's well being? Jesus directs our attention to the birds and how God provides for them to make a powerful point; birds are a fraction of our value in God's eyes and His provision for them is to be a reminder to us, that He will take care of our most critical needs. Trusting God in this way allows us to release our tight grasp on those uncontrollable things of life and frees us from worry. May you be reminded of this powerful Biblical principle with every bird you see!
Creation Reference: Hen with chicks
Visible Verse: Matthew 23:37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
Creation Reference: Bird
Visible Verse: Luke 12:22-26Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.