Have you looked at the birds of the air recently? You have more time now that we are sheltering in place and staying at home. Besides spring has come and with it, birds. Look at the birds.

Why birds? We need some encouragement and hope in these days. In my opinion, we find great hope in birds. How is that you ask? Let’s take our cue from the Bible…specifically Jesus, who said,

“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?”  (from Matthew 6:26)

“Ok,” you respond, “I don’t have anything else to do, I’ll look at the birds.”

My response, “Great, my hope was that you would.”

Think about what Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air…they don’t plant fields or gardens, they don’t have storage bins either. God feeds them.” Have you considered that? God feeds the birds. But we would be mistaken if we stopped with gratitude to God for His continual feeding of ALL of the birds of the earth. Jesus did not provide us with this example to wow us with the power of God to feed the birds of earth…this year and every year before that. No, Jesus spoke these words and provided us with this bird example to show humans how much MORE God provides for our needs…every need.

Look at the Snow Geese. These migratory waterfowl travel north to Arctic nesting grounds each spring and return each fall as winter in the north country moves southward.

Snow geese are herbivores. My research suggests that a medium sized goose (like the Snow Goose) may eat about 7 ounces of food per day.

While it is very difficult to estimate how many individual birds there are in the photo, we’ll use the number 100,000 for this example.

Now the math:

100,000x7= 700,000 ounces

700,000 divided by 16 ounces (1 pound) = 43,750 pounds per day for this flock.

43,750 pounds divided by 2000 (pounds in a ton) = 21.8 tons per day for this flock.

Now, think about the words of Jesus, “Your Heavenly Father feeds them.” Then be reminded that this is ONE flock of Snow Geese. There are an estimated 13 million Snow Geese in North America! (estimate from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service) You can do the math if you want to.

Finally, for the best fact of all: Jesus knew about Snow Geese. He created them. He knew how many there would be in 2020. He provides food for all of them…here is the truth:

You and I are much more valuable than all the birds of earth.

 Let that sink in…and give you hope and peace. You may not be so impressed with birds. Ok…but consider the power of God to feed 13 million Snow Geese and all the other birds on earth. God applies His infinite power to guard, protect and provide for you and me…we are of much more valuable! Look at the birds of the air!

They are beautiful mystery with feathers. They show us the love of God!