{"id":232,"date":"2021-03-21T18:31:11","date_gmt":"2021-03-21T18:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/?p=232"},"modified":"2021-04-21T02:41:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T02:41:28","slug":"the-comfort-of-dead-birds-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/the-comfort-of-dead-birds-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Comfort of Dead Birds (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/smalltowntheologian\/embed\/episodes\/STT-008---The-Comfort-of-Dead-Birds-Part-2-etenga\" height=\"102px\" width=\"400px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<p>How can a dead bird be comforting? You\u2019re walking along a trail on a cool and crisp fall day and notice a little dead bird in the leaves by the trail. Does that comfort you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t think we should take some peculiar pleasure in the death of animals. Native Americans killed many animals, but had great esteem and appreciation for them and industriously made use of the meat, hides, bones, and more. Hunters today may not be as industrious, but they also esteem and appreciate the animals they kill. So, the comfort isn\u2019t so much in the killing or death of animals, but the providence of God behind the death of animals. Seeing a small dead bird along the trail can give us a sense of comfort because the bird fell to the ground by the providence of our heavenly Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you know what the providence of God is? Could you explain it to someone in a way that they could understand the comfort of it? The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks in question eleven, \u201cWhat are God\u2019s works of providence?\u201d It answers, \u201cGod&#8217;s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.\u201d [1] So, God\u2019s providence is God preserving the life of that little bird. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that God feeds the birds of the air (Mt. 6:26). God also governs that little bird \u2013 his location, his flight patterns, his migration, his provisions, etc. Every action of that little bird is being preserved and governed by God\u2019s holy, wise, and powerful will. And when that little bird\u2019s days are up, it falls to the ground by the sovereign will of God. How much more does God value us and preserve and govern us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Heidelberg Catechism provides a wonderful explanation of God\u2019s providence. Question 27 asks, \u201cWhat do you understand by the providence of God?\u201d It answers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>God&#8217;s providence is His almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with His hand, He still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come not by chance but by His fatherly hand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>See, God\u2019s providence is God\u2019s power. God\u2019s providence is God upholding the universe by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). God\u2019s providence is God\u2019s sovereign governance of everything. The colorful fall leaves are governed by God. The rains of Mawsynram, India, which happen to average about 467 inches per year, are governed by God. The soil which fails to produce enough food for the village is governed by God. The cancer revealed by the blood test is governed by God. Every dime of Bill Gates is governed by God. Nothing in this life is chance. Nothing is random. Nothing is meaningless. Nothing happens apart from our Father\u2019s good and gracious hand. If this were not the case, life would be random and God would be impotent and no longer God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where is the comfort for believers in this? In his commentary on Matthew 10, J. C. Ryle gives us something to consider. Ryle said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>Those who try to do good must keep before their minds the providential care of God over them. Nothing can happen in this world without His permission. There is no such thing in reality as chance, accident, or luck. \u201cThe very hairs of their heads are all numbered.\u201d The path of duty may sometimes lead them into great danger. Health and life may seem to be periled, if they go forward. Let them take comfort in the thought that all around them is in God&#8217;s hand. Their bodies, their souls, their characters are all in His safe keeping. No disease can seize them&#8211;no hand can hurt them, unless He allows. They may say boldly to every fearful thing they meet with, \u201cYou could have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above.\u201d [2]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Many will find the idea of God\u2019s providence unsettling because they do not trust God or His Word. But believers, God\u2019s beloved children, so trust their good Father that they joyfully embrace His providence. They take comfort knowing that whatever happens to them is their heavenly Father\u2019s good will for them, therefore His loving Fatherly hand is in it and will use it for their good and eternal salvation. This was the posture of our Lord before the looming cross (&#8220;not my will, but yours be done&#8221;). God\u2019s providence emboldens God\u2019s children as they persevere through suffering, for in suffering their loving Father provides them the grace and Spirit to live for His glory. God\u2019s providence is safety and security for believers. Do you find comfort in God\u2019s providence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[1] <em>The Confessions of Our Faith<\/em>, Fortress Edition, ed. Rev. Brian W. Kinney (Fortress Book Service &amp; Publishers, 2007), 125. https:\/\/www.tanglewoodpublishing.org\/ [2] https:\/\/www.studylight.org\/commentaries\/ryl\/matthew-10.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can a dead bird be comforting? You\u2019re walking along a trail on a cool and crisp fall day and notice a little dead bird in the leaves by the trail. Does that comfort you? I don\u2019t think we should take some peculiar pleasure in the death of animals. Native Americans killed many animals, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smalltowntheologian.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}