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God Cares for You, April 17
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are
ye not much better than they?
Matthew 6:26
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As we look upon the lofty trees waving with fresh, green foliage, and
the earth covered with its green velvet carpet, and the flowers and shrubs
springing from the earth, we should remember that all these beauties of
nature have been used by Christ in teaching His grand lessons of truth. As
we look upon the fields of waving grain, and listen to the merry songsters
in their leafy homes, and view the boats upon the water of the lake, we
should remember the words of Christ upon the lakeside, in the groves, and
on the mountains, and the lessons there taught by Him should be repeated
to us by the similar objects of nature which surround us.
He made use of the lofty trees, the cultivated soil, the barren rocks, the
flowers of beauty struggling through the clefts, the everlasting hills, the
glowing flowers of the valley, the birds caroling their songs in the leafy
branches, the spotless lily resting in purity upon the bosom of the water.
All these objects that made up the living scene around them were made
the medium by which His lessons were impressed upon the minds of His
hearers. They were thus brought home to the hearts of all, ... leading
them gently up from the contemplation of the Creator’s works in nature
to nature’s God....
In one of His most impressive lessons Christ says, “Behold the fowls
of the air; for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
yet your heavenly Father feedeth them....”
The Great Teacher is here leading out minds to understand the parental
care and love which God has for His children. He directs them to observe
the birds flitting from tree to tree, or skimming upon the bosom of the
lake, without a flutter of distrust or fear. God’s eye is upon these little
creatures; He provides them food; He answers all their simple wants.
Jesus inquires, “Are ye not much better than they?” ...
If God cares for and preserves the little birds, will He not have far
greater love and care for the creatures formed in His image?
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