The Cricket
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night
after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where
their voice is not heard." (Ps. 19:1-3)
It's a rare experience to be in a place where you cannot hear any type of
manmade sound. These exceptional times are far from silent, however. This is
when you really notice how loudly the birds sing, how sharply the squirrels
chatter, how noisy the creek is, how boisterous is the call of the bullfrog,
and if you listen carefully, you may even hear the hum of a honey bee or the
rustle of leaves where a baby rabbit has bounded for cover.
It takes more effort to hear these sounds in the city, but if you focus your
mind on the sounds of nature, you will hear them.
There is one of God's creatures that is never hard to hear, no matter where
you find yourself: The cricket. You can hear crickets over the noise of the
city, you hear them over the racket of other wild creatures, and if you
listen carefully, you may even hear their chirp coming from some dark corner
of your own home.
All of these creatures, whether in the city or in the wild, have just one
reason to make the noises they make: They are singing to the glory of God!
Remember Ps. 19:2,3? "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after
night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their
voice is not heard."
But wait a moment. Do these creatures have any reason to sing to the glory
of God? After all, crickets are tiny insects. They are so easily smashed by
heavy feet, they succumb to insecticides and poisons left behind by humans,
they are considered a delicacy by many species of birds and reptiles, and
even many small mammals, they are constantly exposed to extreme
temperatures, they are at risk for falling into simple puddles of water and
drowning, they are killed by forest fire, they get smashed into headlights
and windshields of passing cars . . . And the list could go on. If you think
about it, crickets don't have very good lives at all.
Yet despite everything, crickets chirp constantly, and all to the glory of
God.
Why?
Because their lives are completely in God's hands, and they feel secure
there.
We, as humans, have far fewer natural enemies, yet so often we let the
tiniest problem keep us from glorifying God. The next time we are faced with
worries, even of the tiniest kind, let's remember the cricket. Then let's
remember Jesus' words:
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field
grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all
his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the
grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not
worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'What shall
we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day
has enough trouble of its own." (Matt 6:28-34 NIV)
Instead of spending your time fussing and worrying, take some lessons from
the cricket. Give God the glory, even when you are in the midst of serious
trials, and you will discover the peace of mind and heart that can only come
by handing your problems over to Jesus.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Mother of two teens, Speech-Language
Pathologist, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet
newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian
devotionals and inspirational poems,
www.scripturalnuggets.org ,
with Answers2Prayer Ministries,
www.Answers2Prayer.org .