|
Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "Jesus Thou Joy Of Loving Hearts"1 (Lyrics) |
From May until September each year, my husband keeps a hummingbird feeder outside our east-facing window. One of the delights of summer is the wondrous pleasure of watching the daily dance of "hummers" as they swoop, dip, sip, reverse, and then dart away. The variety in the birds' size, body shape, and flight pattern around the feeder provides infinite fascination. No two birds look exactly alike or approach to drink from the feeder in the same way.
One morning, as I sat with my Bible open to the Psalms, in view of the hummingbird feeder, my delighted pleasure in the "hummers" prepared me to glimpse a tiny fraction of God's delight in us who follow Jesus.
I read, then studied Psalm 147:11.
Psalm 147:11 – The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy. (NKJV)
I looked up the original Hebrew word meanings in my Bible lexicon-dictionary and other reference books:
- The Lord – The infinite, eternal Being Who is, Who was, and is to come; active and emphatic; the One Who spoke and created, then formed humans as His representatives, and breathed into us the breath of life.
- Takes pleasure – is satisfied with, accepts, delights, enjoys, favours
- Fear – are reverent
- Hope – wait patiently, trustingly, expectantly
- Mercy – Hebrew word "kheh-sed" (sounds almost like "He said") used to define God's covenant relationship with His people. It represents His strength and permanence of love, kindness, grace, reliable faithfulness, goodness, and devotion to us.
In summary, God joyfully delights with favour in people who worship Him and, with patient expectation, trust His powerful, generous, lovingkindness.
My fascination in the hummingbird feeder multiplied when my attention came to the Lord's infinite, satisfied pleasure in people seeking His blessing of "kheh-sed" mercy, grace, kindness, and love, because the feeder now reminds me of what He does for us.
What good news we have to share! Christ made the way clear for us to approach our Father in heaven and to take to heart His blessed mercy, grace, kindness, and love here on the earth that He made for us. He delights in our worship and in our trusting expectation of His favour.
So what could we do today to bring the Lord pleasure? Could we swoop, hover, dip, and drink deeply from His everlasting "kheh-sed"?
Prayer: Beloved Father in heaven, because of the finished work of Christ Jesus our Lord, we may come in thanksgiving to worship You, knowing that our worship brings You pleasure. Help us to believe Your delight in us. We ask in the name of Christ. Amen.
Forward this devotional Share this devotional on Facebook Like PresbyCan on Facebook
Thursday, March 27, 2025 – In Zambia — Choma Youth Centre — God continues to bring youth to the centre. We have up to 30 youth for daily programmes but have had about 200 pass through in 2024. We started having street kids join for our sports programme; a while ago, 5 gave their
lives to Christ! Pray we will know how to walk alongside them.
friend: "Update March 21, 2025; Please continue to pray for Hilde who has had dizziness for many months..." 
Although PresbyCan doesn't have a mobile app, you can still have a PresbyCan icon on your mobile phone home screen. 
Wonderful reminder Pat.
What a wealth of information and insight!!
Dear Pat Bell,
Deep and delightful. What a worshipful devotional!
Keep writing, and enjoying both the birds and the Word.
I pray for God’s continued blessings on you and yours.
Dear Pat,
It’s amazing how bird watching can inspire a number of spiritual lessons like the one you shared today. I could tell by your title it was going to be another good one!
Blessings.
Beloved Pat,
I loved your devotional from today.
I am going to printed so I can re-read it again and again.
Thank you so much for your devotional.
Good morning Pat
It was certainly a pleasure and an eye opener reading this beautiful devotion.
In Trinidad we have this beautiful bird, it’s part of our national symbol.
Keep writing your inspiring devotion always looking forward to them.
Have a bless and wonderful day.
God Bless.
(Trinidad)
Dear Pat,
Thanks so very much for a beautiful message of faith so well written! Please know that, to spice all the birthday messages and gifts I have received, God chose that you send me His special gift message using the writing talent He bestowed upon you! Your linguistic architecture, as displayed in the humming birds’ “swoop, dip, sip, reverse and then dart away” verbcraft, has gifted me with delight as a bonus to a splendid message of faith!
Plenty of Blessings!
I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed your teaching this morning. Focusing on His love, mercy and kindness in a new way. I find it very interesting how others are able to bring to light a new way of focusing on His word with an everyday happening here on earth to show His mercy to us.
Today is a new day that He has provided for us to enjoy and I pray our focus will be on what blessings and events He has in mind for us to do to praise Him in all things.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Pat
Thanks for this delightful picture and description of the ‘hummers’. We also enjoy them in our backyard here in BC. I believe they have even nested close by this year, as there is a lot of clicking coming from one tree, but look as I might, I cannot see the nest. The neat thing is – which we can apply to our walk with the Lord – is that they always come back for more!
Enjoy them until they fly south.
(BC)
Dear Pat,
Thank you for your refreshing devotional of today. And yes it is a delight to delight ourselves in our Lord. And one can easily see how simply watching hummingbirds can excite joy in the Lord who made all thing bright and beautiful. I too had the same experience this last week-end at the wedding of our grandson. Sitting on the balcony overlooking the golf course the sight of two deer running over the course gave me such pleasure to see the handiwork of our Maker and Monarch and Keeper and Friend.
Blessings.
Greetings Pat,
I, too, enjoy humming birds.
Have a friend who lives in Arizona who has feeders all over his back yard. One early evening the yard was full. He pointed out the different varieties and their arrival & departure times, migrating in and out with the seasons. He allowed, but without confirmation that it is alleged that on their migrations that the hummingbirds catch rides on the backs of geese traversing the Gulf of Mexico.
Another interesting thing was the way one sub species is more aggressive at feeding times. The males swoop in and run all the other species away, allowing their females in to drink their fill. Then they drink and are gone as fast as they arrived.
Your mention of how our Savior, JESUS, taught us to visit with FATHER, triggered a memory. I was finishing some work on the roof of my home. The ladder slipped and I flew to the concrete patio below. Instantly, a prayer came to mind, as I knew that I did not have long to live without JESUS & FATHER interceding.
We are so lucky to have accepted the gift of salvation offered for the mere asking from FATHER through JESUS. I cannot imagine life now without knowing in my heart & soul that I will step across the threshold, between this life & the one that FATHER has prepared for me….’as well as all others that have preceded me in death as well as those that will follow, those who have accepted the same through the gifts of JESUS’
(Texas, USA)
Hi Pat,
Loved your devotion about the hummingbirds. We have one outside our office window and I take great pleasure in watching them. Blessings.