I met a furry little friend several days ago and named him
(or her) Squirrel Nutkin. I believe he must have fallen from his nest and been
injured. He holds his head at an angle and stumbles and falls when he tries to
walk. I doubt he’ll be able to climb trees. So I worried about him and I prayed
for him. When I first saw him, he stayed in one place for about an hour and I
went out to check on him periodically. The last time I looked he was gone, and
I didn’t know whether his mama took him back to the nest or if the local hawk
found a snack. But then two days later I found him again, and again he stayed
in one place for a long time and even took a nap on the ground. When I went
back to see if he needed a warmer shelter for the night or a supply of
sunflower seeds to sustain him, he was gone again. At this point I’m assuming
that his mama is still watching after him.
After that encounter, I was reading a book that cited Psalm
147:9 (ESV): “He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that
cry.” That verse led me on to Matthew 10:29-31, “Are not five sparrows sold for
a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father…
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” I was convicted
on several counts:
1) Why am I anxious over the fate of a young squirrel when God knows his needs far better than I do? Humans are notorious for “rescuing” animals that need no rescue. And even my imagined “worst case scenario” would provide a meal for another of God’s creatures.
2) Why am I anxious about many things in my own life when God knows each need and He values me more than many sparrows? I don’t know how to deal with even the squirrel-size problems, so why do I think that worrying will help me find solutions to the bigger problems? God will provide the answers if and when the time is right.
3) Why does it seem more profitable to pray and expend energy on a young squirrel than on friends and loved ones who don’t know God as their Lord and Savior? Some of those folks do make it into my prayers regularly, but not as frequently or fervently as they should.
Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be
anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for
the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:33-34). If seeking God and loving Him
are our first priority, everything else will fall into place. But that can be
hard to remember when the things of this world clamor for our attention. It
takes diligent effort to keep everything in perspective.
Jerry Bridges wrote in Trusting God:
“I mistakenly thought I could not trust God unless I felt like trusting him (which I almost never did in times of adversity). Now I am learning that trusting God is first of all a matter of the will, and is not dependent on my feelings. I choose to trust God and my feelings eventually follow… The same David who said in Psalm 56:4, ‘In God I trust; I will not be afraid’ said in Psalm 34:4, ‘I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.’ There is no conflict between saying, ‘I will not be afraid’ and asking God to deliver us from our fears. David recognized it was his responsibility to choose to trust God, but also that he was dependent upon the Lord for the ability to do it.”
I don’t know what Squirrel Nutkin’s future may hold. (If I
see him again I’ll try to get a picture.) I do hope he’ll be around for a long
time, if for no other reason than to remind me that God takes care of His
creatures as He deems best, and I can trust Him to take care of me.
“Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God… casting all your anxieties on Him,
because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).
© 2017 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright
free from pixabay.com.
