Every creature has God-given instincts which help it to survive and prosper even in difficult conditions. These instincts are already there when the creature is born and are not something that has to be learned, although the instincts grow stronger as they are used. Evidence of this is perhaps more noticeable in birds, fish, animals and insects than in other living things, but all living things have been well supplied with instincts by the Creator, according to their particular conditions of life.
One of the most outstanding examples of instincts is the migration of birds, which we have explored in past issues. The lovely monarch butterfly is another example. The adults fly north each summer from Mexico into the southern United States. They lay eggs, and the next generation then migrates farther north to live and lays their eggs. The next generation also lays eggs. The next generation is the fourth, and they are often called the “super generation.” As the following winter approaches, this fourth generation, which have never been beyond the place of their birth, migrate south to Mexico in huge numbers to the very trees that their great-great-great-grandparents left months earlier.
We could also look at the huge distances that whales migrate, or the long travels each year of caribou, antelope, yaks, gnu, salmon, eels and other creatures throughout the world. All these migrations, and many, many others, are guided by God-given instincts and repeated by each new generation. The most intensive study of researchers cannot explain how these migrations can take place so accurately, but all we need to know is that they are part of God’s creation, and He has given these creatures the instincts that bring about their travels.
Wild animals have been given an instinct to avoid poisonous things, such as certain mushrooms, berries and roots. A deer, for instance, will eat leaves from bushes all around an oleander bush, but instinct tells it to leave that poisonous bush alone. Humans do not need this instinct since we can be taught what is poisonous, because God has given us the intelligence for this. His perfect provisions for all His creatures, including humans, are another reminder for us of how good God is. “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 33:55He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. (Psalm 33:5)). I hope you will spend some time today looking around for more evidences of the goodness (or loving-kindness) of the Lord. Even in the winter, there are beautiful things and many proofs of His goodness and kind love to see, if we only look for them.
Did You Know?
Deer eat leaves from bushes all around an oleander bush, but instinct tells it to leave that poisonous bush alone.
Messages of God’s Love 2/16/2025