Consider the Ravens

My heart is confident in you, O God;
….no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! Psalm 108:1 NLT

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After doing this for more than seven years, there are times that I just don’t get anywhere – nothing comes to mind. I sit and prod my mind to think but no matter what angle I turn to, I draw a blank. So…when that happens, I often pull from the vault.

While looking at one angle, I came across a post from a couple of years ago that was encouraging to me, so I pray it will do the same for you! Have a blessed day!

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Luke 12:22-34 (<<click here to read the passage)

It’s not unusual for me to witness a murder behind my house. Oh, not that kind of murder but a murder of crows! Quite a few live in the wooded areas around our home. They are loud but serenely beautiful in their solid black plumage.

Ravens are in the same family as crows and are technically known as corvids. (A little side note: a group of ravens is called an “unkindness” or “conspiracy” – fitting since they are traditionally considered creepy. Not much better than a murder!)

In today’s passage, Jesus refers to ravens. He says in the first portion of verse 24,

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow [seed] nor reap [the crop]; they have no storehouse or barn, and yet God feeds them. AMP

To my knowledge, I’ve never seen a raven in the wild (though they do live in the Appalachians, so I might have seen one and not realized it) but I see lots of crows. I’ve never seen a thin, malnourished crow. They all seem to be well-rounded, well-fed, and full of mischief. They don’t have a care in the world for their Creator cares for them.

It’s strange that though we know that God loves and cares for us, too, we seem to be full of worry, care, and anxiety. We can stress over just about anything!

A portion of Andy Andrew’s The Noticer comes to mind. In chapter four, one of the main characters – Jones – is sharing his wisdom.

“Forty percent of the things you worry about will never occur…. Thirty percent of the things you worry about are things that have already happened – in the past. And all the worry in the world ain’t gonna change what’s already happened, right? Twelve percent of all worries have to do with needless imaginings about our health. My leg hurts. Do I have cancer? My head hurts. Do I have a tumor? My daddy died of a heart attack when he was sixty, and I’m fifty-nine…. Ten percent would be petty-little-nothing worries about what other people think. So if my math is right, that leaves eight percent…. Eight percent for legitimate concerns … these legitimate concerns are things that can actually be dealt with. Most people spend so much time fearing the things that are never going to happen or can’t be controlled that they have no energy to deal with the few things they can actually handle.” – Andy Andrews (The Noticer, pg.54-55)

So, what are we to do? Jesus goes on to say,

How much more valuable are you than the birds! And which of you by worrying can add one hour to his life’s span? So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest? v24b-26 AMP

Lord Jesus, faith factors in greatly here. Once again, there is wisdom in planning ahead but worrying about all the what-ifs and maybes eats away at us bit by bit consuming our time, energy, and mental faculties. Help us to trust You with it all, for the crows and ravens do it each day and flourish. We can do the same! Amen.

(Aug 7^th, 2020, Fri, 8:43 pm)

July 4^th, 2022, Mon, 8:06 pm