✝ Daily Encouragement (8/15/23) "Summer Concert Series"

Published: Tue, 08/15/23

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation. The online Bible teaching ministry of Stephen & Brooksyne Weber.

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Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Our summers are a lot more colorful than our winters!

"Summer Concert Series"

Message summary: After sunset we listen to a summer concert and watch a light show. We experience the truth in our daily Psalm, "The earth is full of Your creatures".

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"Stop and consider God's wonders" (Job 37:14). "O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have You made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures" (Psalm 104:24).

On these summer evenings we often sit out on our front porch in our rocking chairs watching the sun set over the cornfield. It's a special blessing when a horse and buggy goes by and there are often several each evening. We especially enjoy seeing the open carts, so do the pets!

After sunset we listen to a summer concert and watch a light show. We experience the truth in our daily Psalm, "The earth is full of Your creatures".

The music is provided by scores of insects in the trees. The male katydids and crickets have a signature song. Both create a sound by rubbing their top wing against the bottom one — which is called stridulation. Katydids produce a drawn-out, soft buzzing noise, and crickets sound more like chirping. Cicadas are famously known for their buzzing, which often rises and falls in both pitch and volume. Note: I am not sure which insects we hear. The sound is designed to attract mates. (The cicada photo was taken by our friend Lamar Dourte.)

Even as these insects were designed by their Creator to make noise so are we. All over the world today God’s people are making noise. There are pleasant noises of praises to God and proclamations of the Gospel. There are noises of challenge and conviction as well as comfort and encouragement. There sadly is also much noise of strife and contention in many places. Individually we really aren’t that loud but as an accumulative voice we are capable of turning up the volume, for good or bad!

The light show is provided by the firefly (we called them lightning bugs growing up in Missouri and Oklahoma). During this season the fireflies appear each night like tiny twinkling Christmas lights flashing all across our lawn and in the cornfield beyond the road. I sure wish I could capture it in a picture and share it with you. It's a stunning scene.

The firefly is a bioluminescent insect, scientifically known as Pyractomena borealis. It sure is an interesting creature and we marvel as a family observing this special creation of God.

Hopefully you've all caught fireflies and held them in your hand at some point in your life. They have a very distinct scent, which I can still remember from playing with them as a child. It's not necessarily an unpleasant one but it is distinct and is believed to be from defensive chemicals the fireflies secrete to deter predators. Birds, spiders and lizards have learned that fireflies will make them sick, so they leave them alone!

A firefly is not hot or even warm to the touch. Amazingly nearly 100% of a firefly's luminescent energy is converted to light. Like the sound of our concert insects, the firefly light show has a "romantic" purpose.

God has designed us to emit His light. Jesus instructed "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13 )

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Daily prayer: Father, just like the nightly insects fill our world with sounds may we do so as well with sounds that glorify you and edify others. As fireflies emit a distinct scent, we as believers want to offer up to You the distinct fragrance of a sweet smelling sacrifice that is pleasing to You. And just like the firefly emits its light, we too want our light to shine before others, so that anything good seen in us will bring glory to You, our Father, who is in heaven. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

Bug Expert Explains Why Cicadas Are So Loud video

Fireflies In Iowa video

Our front lawn view where we see the nightly light show.

Steve, a reader from Cedar Falls, Iowa, sent this photo of a country view he sees along one of his bike trails. One of the better developments in our lifetime has been designing these recreational trails all over the country and in many cases re-purposing former railroad lines. In our area these trails are very well utilized.

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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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