The Cricket and Praising God

Psalm 19:1-3 (New International Version)

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;

    no sound is heard from them.

It's a rare experience to be in a place where you cannot hear any type of manmade sound. These exceptional times are far from silent, however. This is when you really notice how loudly the birds sing, how sharply the squirrels chatter, how noisy the creek is, how boisterous is the call of the bullfrog, and if you listen carefully, you may even hear the hum of a honey bee or the rustle of leaves where a baby rabbit has bounded for cover.

It takes more effort to hear these sounds in the city, but if you focus your mind on the sounds of nature, you will hear them.

There is one of God's creatures that is never hard to hear, no matter where you find yourself: The cricket. You can hear crickets over the noise of the city, you hear them over the racket of other wild creatures, and if you listen carefully, you may even hear their chirp coming from some dark corner of your own home.

All of these creatures, whether in the city or in the wild, have just one reason to make the noises they make: They are singing to the glory of God! "Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard."

But wait a moment. Do these creatures have any reason to sing to the glory of God? After all, crickets are tiny insects. They are so easily smashed by heavy feet, they succumb to insecticides and poisons left behind by humans, they are considered a delicacy by many species of birds and reptiles, and even many small mammals, they are constantly exposed to extreme temperatures, they are at risk for falling into simple puddles of water and drowning, they are killed by forest fire, they get smashed into headlights and windshields of passing cars . . . And the list could go on. If you think about it, crickets don't have very good lives at all.

Yet despite everything, crickets chirp constantly, and all to the glory of God.

Why?

Because their lives are completely in God's hands, and they feel secure there.

We, as humans, have far fewer natural enemies, yet so often we let the tiniest problem keep us from glorifying God. The next time we are faced with worries, even of the tiniest kind, let's remember the cricket. Then let's remember Jesus' words:

Instead of spending your time fussing and worrying, take some lessons from the cricket. Give God the glory, even when you are in the midst of serious trials, and you will discover the peace of mind and heart that can only come by handing your problems over to Jesus.

Dear Lord we thank You that You are in control. We thank You for the cricket and the reminder it is to each of us to praise You. Lord we praise You for all things today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.