“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” So declared the inspired writer of Psalm 19.
To this, he later added “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!” after previously proclaiming, “Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.”
These thoughts have been on my mind this past week as the long anticipated arrival of the seventeen-year-cycle of cicadas has finally unfolded. It began with the periodic brown cicada shell cropping up here and there, as first one and then another of these insects emerged from the ground and molted, casting off its former shell in order to free itself for a greater agenda.
These few isolated examples were soon followed by a virtual tsunami. Almost every leaf on almost every plant, and on almost every bush, and eventually, on almost every tree, was soon coated with discarded and abandoned cicada exoskeletons.
And now, just in the last day or two, the woods here in East Tennessee have literally erupted with the singing of cicadas, who are, according to those who study them, seeking to find a mate and breed before finishing out their life cycle.
Why has this been occurring? Some might assert that it is because nature has ordained it. Okay. But just who gave nature her authority to dictate any such behavior? Those of us who follow Jesus Christ believe that authority came from God Himself.
All of this leads me to my point. As these hapless insects unwittingly go about their prescribed cycle, they not only fulfill the words of the Psalmist, but they ultimately display an even greater Biblical truth in the process. Allow me to explain…
Cicadas are born, live out their brief earthly existence, and soon afterward, find themselves buried deep under the ground. Thereafter, on a time frame they neither understand nor control, they are somehow mysteriously prompted to surface from their earthly tomb; whereupon they clamor forth and promptly discard their old bodily shell.
Soon thereafter, they emerge as a whole new version of themselves, replete with vibrant colors and fully functional wings, allowing them to ascend to unparalleled heights amidst the trees above. Once they reach these lofty locales, they quickly burst forth in song!
So, what is my point? Just this… Do not miss the parallels with those of us who follow Jesus Christ. We are born into this world, we live, and at some point, we die. Thereafter, we go into the grave. But, in God’s perfect timing, we do not remain there. Instead, we eventually emerge. And once we do, we cast off our old, worn out body, and acquire a newer, far superior one.
Thereafter, we ascend to a lofty place hitherto unimagined. Once we do, we immediately begin to sing forth the praises of the One Who both created and redeemed us!
In my case, I have been born and am currently living out my earthly existence. I have yet to descend into an earthly grave. But when that day comes, as inevitably it must, I will face it with encouragement. For as a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that whatever befalls me then is only a necessary precursor to a very different future.
According to God’s Word, the time will come when I will arise from that grave. When that day comes, I will exchange my old body for a new one; I will then ascend to heights hitherto unknown where I will join every heavenly body, and every creature, and everything that hath breath, and sing to the glory of God forever!
Seventeen years is a quite along time for an insect's lifespan to unfold. The month or so of nonstop singing that follows can also seem quite lengthy. But all of this pales in comparison to an eternity spent in praise of God. What a day, glorious day that will be!
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/19.htm;
https://biblehub.com/psalms/150-6.htm;
https://biblehub.com/psalms/145-21.htm.
To this, he later added “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!” after previously proclaiming, “Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.”
These thoughts have been on my mind this past week as the long anticipated arrival of the seventeen-year-cycle of cicadas has finally unfolded. It began with the periodic brown cicada shell cropping up here and there, as first one and then another of these insects emerged from the ground and molted, casting off its former shell in order to free itself for a greater agenda.
These few isolated examples were soon followed by a virtual tsunami. Almost every leaf on almost every plant, and on almost every bush, and eventually, on almost every tree, was soon coated with discarded and abandoned cicada exoskeletons.
And now, just in the last day or two, the woods here in East Tennessee have literally erupted with the singing of cicadas, who are, according to those who study them, seeking to find a mate and breed before finishing out their life cycle.
Why has this been occurring? Some might assert that it is because nature has ordained it. Okay. But just who gave nature her authority to dictate any such behavior? Those of us who follow Jesus Christ believe that authority came from God Himself.
All of this leads me to my point. As these hapless insects unwittingly go about their prescribed cycle, they not only fulfill the words of the Psalmist, but they ultimately display an even greater Biblical truth in the process. Allow me to explain…
Cicadas are born, live out their brief earthly existence, and soon afterward, find themselves buried deep under the ground. Thereafter, on a time frame they neither understand nor control, they are somehow mysteriously prompted to surface from their earthly tomb; whereupon they clamor forth and promptly discard their old bodily shell.
Soon thereafter, they emerge as a whole new version of themselves, replete with vibrant colors and fully functional wings, allowing them to ascend to unparalleled heights amidst the trees above. Once they reach these lofty locales, they quickly burst forth in song!
So, what is my point? Just this… Do not miss the parallels with those of us who follow Jesus Christ. We are born into this world, we live, and at some point, we die. Thereafter, we go into the grave. But, in God’s perfect timing, we do not remain there. Instead, we eventually emerge. And once we do, we cast off our old, worn out body, and acquire a newer, far superior one.
Thereafter, we ascend to a lofty place hitherto unimagined. Once we do, we immediately begin to sing forth the praises of the One Who both created and redeemed us!
In my case, I have been born and am currently living out my earthly existence. I have yet to descend into an earthly grave. But when that day comes, as inevitably it must, I will face it with encouragement. For as a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that whatever befalls me then is only a necessary precursor to a very different future.
According to God’s Word, the time will come when I will arise from that grave. When that day comes, I will exchange my old body for a new one; I will then ascend to heights hitherto unknown where I will join every heavenly body, and every creature, and everything that hath breath, and sing to the glory of God forever!
Seventeen years is a quite along time for an insect's lifespan to unfold. The month or so of nonstop singing that follows can also seem quite lengthy. But all of this pales in comparison to an eternity spent in praise of God. What a day, glorious day that will be!
SCRIPTURE:
https://biblehub.com/niv/psalms/19.htm;
https://biblehub.com/psalms/150-6.htm;
https://biblehub.com/psalms/145-21.htm.