Today Daily Devotional

“You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”

— 1 Kings 17:4

There are so many radio stations where I live that the possibilities for listening to all kinds of songs can seem endless. For a time, though, one song seemed to be aired far more often than others—or at least I paid more attention to it than to others. It was meant to be a love song, not necessarily a worship song, but whenever I heard it, it felt like God’s Spirit was whispering: “Come and spend time with me. Let me shower you with love for a while.” This happened during a time when I was busy and tired, and the Spirit’s nudging in my heart to linger in his presence was a tender reminder that he wouldn’t leave me to flounder.

Sometimes God meets us in ways that are unexpected—and maybe even unconventional. When Elijah was alone in the wilderness, God cared for him in a way that was considered taboo or impossible at that time. Ravens were unclean birds, so receiving food directly from their mouths would have seemed strange for Elijah. He might have wondered if it was even okay to receive help from something that was considered off limits. But God can potentially use anything to bring restoration, whether it’s ravens or songs on a radio.

Lord, we are amazed that nothing is too hard for you and that you will come to reach us wherever we are. Thank you for doing what it takes to restore us to you. We live by grace in the power of your name. Amen.

He shielded him and cared for him . . . like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

— Deuteronomy 32:10-11

Not long ago, I realized that I hadn’t been invited to something that I would have liked to have participated in. It was surprising to feel excluded and forgotten. I wondered why I had been left out, but I was too embarrassed to ask, so I assumed there must have been a reason for it. In that weak moment, it was hard not to draw the conclusion that I had been excluded on purpose. At times when we might feel insecure or unwanted, it is natural to feel hurt and alone. Feelings of isolation can create an ache in our hearts and a tiredness in our bones. We yearn for friendship and understanding. Ironically, when we feel that way, it can be hard to connect with others even if they do reach out to us—because we’ve begun to feel out of touch and unwanted.

Humanly speaking, there might not be anyone who can truly care for us in the way that we need to be cared for. Our hurts can sometimes be too deep for words to express. What we need is to be held and carried up over our troubled situations.

Our Lord and Savior is the only one who can truly do that. God sees us, knows what we need, and comes to save us. He scoops us up and carries us when we are not capable of flying ourselves.

Lord Jesus, we can’t thank you enough for your care for us. When we feel hurt and alone, it is the greatest comfort to know that you guard us as the apple of your eye. We love you and pray in your name. Amen.

If you come across a bird’s nest beside the road, either in a tree or on the ground, and the mother is sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young.

— Deuteronomy 22:6

While walking near a lake one day, our family discovered a camouflaged nest of eggs that a killdeer, a small shorebird, had laid in the ground. It was breathtakingly beautiful, but it was also unprotected and exposed among the rocks.

Among the many Old Testament guidelines for holy living, some instructions in Deuteronomy told God’s people what to do if they found such a nest. At that time it was considered okay to take the eggs or the young hatchlings, but it was not acceptable to harm the bird that laid them. That was a simple principle of conservation: if the eggs are taken, the bird can lay more eggs, but if the mother bird is taken or destroyed, she can’t produce any more. In times of hunger, it might have been tempting to take both the bird and the eggs, but the prevailing wisdom cautioned people to use restraint, even if they were desperate.

These instructions aren’t only about conservation, though. We can trust that if God cares for birds, he cares far more about us, whom he made in his image. Jesus made this clear when he said to his followers, “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). He was explaining God’s care for them when they were threatened by enemies. Similarly, God cares for you, body and soul, when you feel exposed and in danger.

Lord, thank you for protecting us when we are weak. Help us also to protect those that are vulnerable. Amen.

“These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean. . . .”

— Leviticus 11:13

Every culture has its list of food preferences. Most of us tend to elevate certain foods over others, depending on what’s familiar to us, what agrees with us, and what we like and don’t like.

In Old Testament Israel, however, living according to food laws was not a matter of preference. The law stated that certain birds and other animals were unclean. So, as a way to live holy lives, the people were required to avoid those animals and not eat them. The food laws seemed to honor principles about life and death, suggesting that God was putting in place a way for his people to flourish.

When Jesus Christ brought about the new covenant, the old food laws were no longer required. In Acts 10, for example, we read of Peter having a vision in which God tells him that “all kinds of four-footed animals, including reptiles and birds,” were now considered clean! In this way God urged his people to spread the good news of Jesus to all other nations. People of other nations regularly ate those kinds of animals, and God did not want his people thinking that other peoples were unclean or unworthy of being saved through Jesus.

Today we are still called to be holy (set apart), living with intention as God’s people. Rather than following rules about food, we are invited to live for our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Lord, please give us the wisdom to live intentionally for you. Amen.

That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning. . . . thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.

— Exodus 16:13-14

Do you remember the shortages that people faced during the COVID-19 pandemic? In some areas, it seemed there was no yeast or bread to be found. Supply chains were interrupted, and it was difficult for many people to find some basic things that they needed.

The Israelites faced a scarcity of food in the desert, and they complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron. But there was a problem with the people’s perspective. They didn’t trust God, who had shown his great power by freeing them from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12-14). Their cravings, and their confused memories, left them short-sighted and unhappy—and they began to say they were better off in Egypt!

Nevertheless, God provided for them by giving them meat every evening and “bread from heaven” every morning. That very evening, “quail came and covered the camp,” and the people ate heartily. And in the morning they found flakes on the ground that they could eat and make into bread. They called it manna. But it wasn’t long before the people were grumbling and complaining again.

How humbling it can be to realize that we often do the same: we get focused on something that we think we need in order to be happy, and we overlook the goodness that God is already pouring into our lives each day.

Lord, forgive us for letting our cravings get the best of us. Help us to be content, knowing that every good gift we receive is from you. Amen.

The Lord said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”

— Genesis 15:9

Recently in one of my high-school classes, students became quite engaged in discussing what it means to submit. They argued that it wasn’t appealing and that it might cause people to agree to things that could be harmful for them. In their view, submission is potentially dangerous. In a way, they’re right. Submitting is risky.

Today’s story about Abram believing God’s word and submitting to God’s promise is complex, and it has many cultural layers that can be hard for us to grasp. For example, we don’t make promises today by dividing animals and then walking through the pieces. In those days that meant, “If I break my promise, may the same be done to me.”

Notice, however, that Abram doesn’t walk through the divided animals, as would have been the custom. Instead, Abram goes into a deep sleep, and God passes through the pieces. The emphasis here is on God making and keeping the promise. Abram’s task will be to believe God’s promise and to live according to it.

Believing that God will keep his promises challenges us to submit and invite him to take control in our lives. And, rather than reducing our power, as some people are fearful of, this way of living brings us to live fully in the strength of God’s faithfulness and power.

Promise-keeping God, your plans for us are way beyond what we can imagine for ourselves. Help us to trust in you always. Through Jesus, Amen.

When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.

— Genesis 8:11

Maybe you have seen a picture or a logo showing a dove with an olive branch in its beak. That image draws from our reading for today. Over time, the image of a dove bringing a part of an olive tree has become a symbol for peace.

When we look a little closer at today’s passage, it becomes clear that Noah wasn’t just passively waiting for good, peaceful news. He first sent out a raven, a robust bird that flew “back and forth” but apparently did not come back into the ark—probably because it found plenty of carrion to eat. Noah then sent out a gentle dove—a more vulnerable bird—to go looking for signs of new growth. And then he waited attentively.

The dove soon returned because it “could find nowhere to perch.” So Noah brought it back into the ark for seven days. Then, when he sent the dove out again, it returned in the evening with an olive leaf. This meant the flood waters had receded to a safe level where the people and animals could flourish and thrive again, enjoying shalom (peace) in God’s world.

As we reflect on this, let’s consider ways in which we might participate in bringing peace in God’s world. Do we just say we want peace, or are we intentionally working toward it, even in small, possibly vulnerable ways? Are we also sharing the good news of Jesus, who brings peace and rest for people’s weary hearts?

Lord, help us to be bringers of peace in this world, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

God said, “. . . Let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

— Genesis 1:20

For anyone who has grown up under the wide-open skies of a prairie, where the horizons are far and wide and the ground is soft, it can be quite a shock to move to the city. The concrete, high-rises, and constant bustle can be disorienting. That was my experience a couple of decades ago when I moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. Though Vancouver is a beautiful city, it wasn’t familiar or welcoming to me at first. I often walked with a downward gaze, wondering how to connect with a place that didn’t feel like home. Then one day the phrase “Look at the birds” entered my mind, and that was an unusual idea for me. From my perspective, birds were okay, but I didn’t know how to identify many of them. Yet I suddenly remembered that Jesus had said, “Look at the birds”—and I took it as a holy invitation to lift my eyes up. As I began paying attention, I saw that birds of all kinds were everywhere, in every season—even in the city! It shifted my perspective dramatically.

Perhaps you feel far from home, or as if you don’t belong in the place where you are now. Could God be inviting you to lift up your eyes so that you can take note of his work around you and his provisions in life? Will you join me in being filled with wonder as we reflect on birds as an important part of his creation?

Loving God, help us to lift up our eyes. May we notice your marvelous creation, in which you have even placed birds in the sky as a daily reminder of your care. Amen.

The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

— Genesis 1:2

Have you ever watched a seagull or a tern that seems to just hang in the air over the waves? The wind may be blustering and the waters roaring, but the bird still soars calmly over the rough ocean.

That image of hovering over turbulent waters is how the Bible first describes the Spirit of God. The word for “hovering” indicates a high degree of care, even concern, in its action, and it is unmistakably linked to the behavior of protective birds that brood over their nests, guarding and keeping their clutch warm and safe as it develops. The Holy Spirit, in his protective love, hovers over the surface of the unformed deep.

The story of creation in Genesis was given to God’s people at a time when other stories about the beginning of the world were filled with themes of violence and chaos. Into that unsettled situation, the Genesis story came as a gift that revealed God’s purposeful, loving intention to make all things good and beautiful. At the time, it would have sounded far different from the other creation stories. And because love and goodness are at the center of this story, it continues to invite people to know God as the loving, protective Creator that he is. As we’ll see this month, many other passages in the Bible also teach us something about God through the imagery of birds. Let’s keep reading and pondering together.

Loving God, help us to be continually aware of how you hover over us, keeping watch as you protect us and sustain your creation day by day. Amen.

There was no longer any sea. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. . .

— Revelation 21:1; 22:1

At the end of history, after battles long and hard, Satan is defeated by Christ and his followers (Revelation 12:10-11). And Jesus completes the work he began when he first came: the restoration of true human stewards and his good world.

Heaven and earth are united; God’s will is fully done on earth as it was already done in heaven (Matthew 6:10). And we are told something odd: “there was no longer any sea.” Here God is not ridding the world of its “good” natural seas (Genesis 1:10) but, rather, what the sea represents: chaos and rebellion. Anything that threatens to harm God’s good creation is done away with. Then we see “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal,” flowing from God’s throne, delivering the leaves of the tree of life to the world for its healing after so many years of sin, death, destruction, and evil (remember also the living water of John 7:38; Ezekiel 47). And at last the earth is “filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

This is the final reality we envision when a person is baptized in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism anticipates renewal in Christ and the rebirth of the whole world to new life, flooded with grace.

Lord Christ, in baptism, we anticipate the day when you will return to finish all you started when you came to bring us salvation. Continue in the work of your Spirit-filled saints, and bring the restoration of all things. Amen.