“Thou [the Lord] hast made ... the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all.” Nehemiah 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6)
The six-inch archer fish lives in East Indian waters and is very clever at catching its food. This little fish waits near the surface of the water until a low-flying insect comes by. Then it shoots drops of water from its mouth at the insect. If the water hits the insect, its wings become wet so that it cannot fly. When it falls into the water, it is eaten by the archer fish. How did this fish learn to do this? No practice was necessary, for the Creator gave it this skill when He created the very first archer fish on the fifth day of creation.
Instead of laying eggs at the bottom of a marshy pond where it lives, the egg hanger fish hangs them on sticky threads suspended from underwater plants. The female produces one string of this sticky thread for each egg she lays. With the egg firmly stuck to one end, she attaches the other end over the plant so it can hang down freely. She continues until there are about 150 all hanging separately in the swampy water. Then she swims away and does not return.
The splashing tetra is a three-inch fish found in Brazil and Venezuela. When the female is ready to lay her eggs, she searches for a bush with leaves hanging over, but not in, the water. Then she jumps up and lays her eggs on a big leaf before dropping back to the water. Doesn’t this seem strange? Wouldn’t you expect the eggs to dry out and die? That would certainly be true, except that we can see it is another of the wonders of the Lord God who designed such interesting features in His many creatures.
The eggs don’t die because both parents stay in the water under the leaf and, with flips of their tails, continually splash water on them. After three or four days, the little ones hatch and drop into the water. Then the parents swim away.
These unusual fish are not able to think of the One who made them and provides for them. But you can, and God has given you the responsibility to acknowledge Him and thank Him for supplying all your needs. What is even more important is that He invites you to accept the everlasting life He offers. The Bible tells us that this new life can only be yours through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on Calvary’s cross to put away the sins of all who trust in Him. Have you accepted Him as your Saviour?
ML-12/08/2013