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| Photo courtesy of Bing.com |
“And God said,
‘. . . Let the skies be
filled with birds of every kind.’
So God created . . . every kind of bird.
And God saw that it was good.
Then God blessed them,
saying,
‘. . . Let the birds increase and fill the earth.’
This all happened on
the fifth day.”
Genesis 1: 20-23
God knew before He created us that we would find great
pleasure in watching the birds. He made so many different kinds—the acrobatic
chickadee, the strikingly beautiful cardinal, the humble sparrow, the haughty
blue jay, the tiny hummingbird, and thousands more.
One of my favorites is the big black crow. As the crow
searches the ground for food, he reminds me of an old-time minister in black
frock pacing the floor as he prepares his sermon—head down, hands clasped
behind his back, contemplating a particularly serious point. I chuckle every
time I see one carefully scouring my back yard for tidbits.
As the wife of a pastor, I know first-hand the effort and
thought and time and struggle that go into a sermon. Allowing oneself to be the
vessel God uses to speak to His people is a weighty responsibility and an
awe-filled privilege. It is not one that my husband takes lightly.
Dick begins preparing for Sunday’s sermon on Monday morning,
if not sooner. He likes to know the Scripture he will be focusing on by that
time. He spends the entire week praying, researching background information, praying,
reading commentaries, praying, listening and watching for God to bring the
Scripture to life on the wide-screen of practical, everyday life.
While Dick may not dress all in black and walk around the
house with his hands clasped behind his back and his head down, it is obvious
when the cogs and gears of his mind are turning, mulling over a particularly
puzzling piece of the message God has lain on his heart.
The crows in my yard actually remind me to pray for Dick. Just
as they are searching for life-sustaining food, Dick is gleaning spirit-sustaining
truths from God’s Word. After all, Jesus said,
“People do not live by bread alone,
but by
every word
that comes from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4
Perhaps, the next time you see a crow or even just hear one
in the distance, you could say a prayer for your pastor. I know for a fact that
he/she will appreciate any and all prayer support. (Hopefully your pastor’s
voice won’t sound like the raucous caw of a crow. LOL!)
Blessings!
Pam©2014 Pamela D. Williams
