The Armadillo

Psalm 104:24,27 – How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. These all look to you to give them their food at the proper time. (NIV)

My grandchildren are fascinated with all kinds of wildlife. To them, all of God's creatures are important. During their last visit, they searched for an armadillo, hoping to capture and make a pet of him. They didn't understand my desire to destroy this creature that was digging holes in my yard and eating my cherished flower bulbs.

The author of Psalm 104 would not have understood my destructive thoughts either. He saw how the world fits together, everything in its proper place. Things fit together because an intimate, personal God watches over them. They eat, sleep, and feed on a schedule because God gives them their food "at the proper time". Each breath, the weather, the winds, the clouds, the water supply — all depend on God. How simple it all seems when viewed with the faith and the simplicity of the psalmist.

As citizens of the earth today, we are worried about over-crowding, depleted soil, and the inability to feed the earth's population. We worry over the destruction of our rainforests.

The psalmist had no such fears. He calls on God to clean up His creation, to cleanse it of sinners who mar its perfection by rejection of God's will.

In our modern world today, man has invaded the animal kingdom, building houses, farming the land, or digging for minerals beneath the earth. Asphalt has been spread over large portions of the land, and her rivers have been turned into cesspools. There's no room for the armadillo except in my flower bed; no food for him except for my bulbs. Am I wrong to deny him his birthright?

Can we recreate a world that will provide room for both my flower garden and the hungry armadillo?

Prayer: Lord, as the psalmist acknowledges Your creation, help us to recognize that You are the Creator of it all — the earth, the people, and the universe — and that only You alone can purify it all. Amen.

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