✝ Daily Encouragement (10/23/23) "A Study Of Ornithological Anxiety"

Published: Mon, 10/23/23

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Monday, October 23, 2023

Sea gulls on Cape Cod.

"A Study Of Ornithological Anxiety"

Message summary: Have you ever wondered if birds worry?

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"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 important than food, and the body more important 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:25-27).

Have you ever wondered if birds worry? Researchers from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology(study of birds) conducted a study to see whether chickadees spend more time worrying about lack of food or whether they might be eaten by a predator. You might say it was a study of ornithological anxiety. They determined it was food.

The Missourian "show me" in me however wonders how they really determine whether a bird worries or not! We've wondered this about our pets as well. Do they worry that we will forget to feed them or leave them outside during a potty break?

Jesus answers the question illustrating our need to trust and depend upon our heavenly Father's care in these words, "yet your heavenly Father feeds them".

The Greek word for worry is μεριμνᾶτε (merimnate) which means to be “fidgety, anxious, or distracted”. Merimnate comes from the root word morizo – which means “to divide or separate.” You can find it in 17 verses of the New Testament, usually translated “to care, to be anxious, to be concerned.”

It has the sense of turning something over and over again in our mind which is exactly what I tend to do when I worry!

Worry has been defined as “a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained” (Our Daily Bread).

Worry is a condition that is present when trust is lacking and we become overwhelmed with a sense of our present and future needs. We really suspect the animal kingdom essentially lives with no cognizance of the future thus no worry.

But it's our very awareness of the future that causes us to worry, which really expresses a lack of trust in our heavenly Father. Jesus, in the same context of our daily text, said "O you of little faith" (Matthew 6:30).

What meticulous care God exercises to provide for the birds. But consider how much greater value we are to God than the birds of the air. Jesus told us so! The One who has so marvelously provided for the birds is certainly more interested in those made in His own image. Hope rises up within the believer as he contemplates the words of the hymn, "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me!"

God's love for us is abundantly demonstrated in the way He cares and provides for His creation. Our prayer is that you will experience the wonderful peace of God today as you rest in the divine care of our loving Father. Worry can be such a detriment in our walk of faith and will rob us of the supernatural peace that is God's blessing for His children.

It will strengthen our Christian witness as others see us trusting in God instead of fearing the unknown. Perhaps today you will want to personalize this truth by properly proclaiming, "I will not be afraid, for I am worth more than many sparrows". And we sure are!

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13 )

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, I want to look to the words of Jesus when He warns us of the perils that come with worrying. It is common knowledge that worry will damage our health and can even lead to an early death. It can consume our thoughts and taint our outlook in everything we do. It can hinder our productivity and affect the way we relate to others. Help us to remember that worrying does not contribute to the solution but only creates other troubles. The answer to our problems is to place our hope and trust in You by seeking first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. In the process of seeking You above all else You bring perspective, direction, trust and supernatural peace into the most troubling circumstances. Only You can make a roadway in the wilderness and only You can open a door that has been closed. Nothing is impossible with You, Father.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"His Eye Is On The Sparrow" Watch on YouTube by Keith and Kristyn Getty

"All Your Anxiety" Watch on YouTube Liberty Quartet

What Do You Do When You Worry All The Time? Jay Adams (pdf) (I believe this is the same material in the booklet, "What To Do About Worry" I recall from my Bible school days. Similar material on a video

Said the Robin to the Sparrow:
“I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”

Said the Sparrow to the Robin:
“Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me.”

(Elizabeth Cheney, Streams in the Desert).

Brooksyne's Note: We want to thank you for your notes of concern and prayerful interest in Ester's health. She spent Thursday through early Sunday afternoon at our newest hospital in Lancaster, a branch of Hershey Medical Center. Some of the pain she experienced was never fully resolved yet she feels better today than when she arrived at the ER days ago. An unexpected complication (but way too common for Ester) is that her INR rose to greater than 8.5 indicating that her blood was way too thin. It took doses of Vitamin K over two days to get her back to acceptable range which happened yesterday clearing the way for Ester to come home. Yesterday afternoon she comfortably rested as she and Stephen watched the Kansas City Chiefs defeat Los Angeles.

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.

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