Today is National Bird Day.

National Bird Day was created in 2003 as a day to celebrate and reflect on what we can learn from our fine-feathered friends. If you wish, you can get a book about birds at your local bookstore or library and try to identify the different types of birds that fly into your backyard. Or you can check out some interesting websites about birds. But did you know that you can learn much about—and from—birds just by reading the Bible?

There are more than 50 different references to birds in the Bible, and more than 34 different types are mentioned. The Bible tells us that God created birds for his own glory (Psalm 148:5, 7–10); that he provides them with food and shelter (Psalm 104:10-12, 16, 17); and that all the birds of this world belong to God (Psalm 50:11). God created birds to sing (Song of Songs 2:12), to soar (Isaiah 40:31, Hosea 11:11), and to be tamed (James3:7). Birds provide a source of food (Genesis 9:2, 3), provide a source of wisdom (Job 12:7), and on one special occasion, provided airborne meals for God’s prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:2-6).

But the most important lesson we can learn from birds is how much God cares. In Matthew 10:29 we learn that God knows when even one sparrow falls to the ground. Think of all the birds in the world, or even in your backyard. God cares specifically and tenderly for each one. So why is that important to know? Mathew 10:31 says, “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him [God] than a whole flock of sparrows.” If God cares so much for just one little sparrow, imagine how much more he cares for you!

Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it (Matthew 10:29).

To Do

Buy or make a bird feeder and put it in your yard. Watch the birds come to feed. Let each bird that flies into your yard remind you how much God loves you.

Also on this day . . .

1925—The first female governor in the United States, Mrs. Nellie Taylor Ross, was sworn in as the governor of Wyoming.

1933—Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began.

1956—In the Peanuts comic strip, Snoopy walked on two legs for the first time.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.