“Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made ... the earth, and all things that are 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)
Ptarmigans (pronounced tar-mi-gans) are birds weighing about a pound to a pound and a half, and measuring just over a foot long. They make their homes in northern Canada and Alaska and many other cold areas. Their name means “feet like a rabbit,” because thick, soft, warm feathers cover their legs right to the claws.
Although they live in such cold areas, they do not migrate, so the Lord has given them ways to stay warm in the extreme cold of winter. Besides the warm feathers on their feet, He has given them thick layers of warm feathers all over. Without these, they could not survive the fierce cold of winter where they live. Also, in a wild snowstorm, they know to burrow into a snowbank for protection.
In spring they hollow out nests on the ground. The female lays six or more eggs, which she then incubates. Foxes, weasels, hawks and other carnivorous birds are a threat to these eggs and the chicks later. So, while the female is tending the chicks, the male often conceals himself on a nearby rock or branch of a tree. When an enemy approaches, he will either attack it or draw it away so it will attack him instead of his family. Sometimes the male loses his life protecting his family. And if the female is killed while the chicks are still in her care, the male often takes over and raises them by himself.
Their pure-white feathers in winter make them almost invisible against the deep snow of their homeland and preserve them from hungry enemies. But as spring begins and the snow melts, large rocks, patches of bare soil, and dark clumps of vegetation appear. Ordinarily, an all-white bird walking in these surroundings would be immediately visible to a hungry fox or hawk. However, just as these changes take place, the color of the bird’s feathers also changes, turning into a combination of dark and white, helping to keep them safe.
Do you think the ptarmigans plan this color change? No, they couldn’t! As our opening verse says, the Lord is the One who keeps them safe. Everything about them shows the wonders of the Creator’s care for them. But He has an even more special care for every boy, girl, woman and man whom He has made. Here is what He tells us: “I have loved [you] with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:33The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)).
Messages of God’s Love 8/7/2022