"God, Why Do Birds Sing?"

By Joanne Hogg

"Get up , my dear friend, my fair and beautiful lover. Come away with me. The winter is over, the winter rains have been and gone. Spring flowers are in blossom all over. The whole world's a choir .....and singing. Spring warblers are filling the forest with sweet arpeggios........

Song of Solomon 2:10-12

I spend most of my life in the company of other humans. This is a good thing. I am not lonely. I understand that I was created for community and I love sharing life with others. But deep within me , I feel the pull of something much stronger than any of my instinctive desires to pursue activities which connect me to other people. Often, this creates a tension in me as I struggle and juggle to withdraw from external activity , to a place where I can truly be still....... And "know" God. Not a physical stillness, but more one of my soul and mind. 

Sometimes I experience this kind of stillness best when I am actually moving. When my feet wander, I'm better able to "still" soul and mind . When I sit still, often I find my mind wanders! 

Our days hurry by, one after the other, like pages of a book, turning quickly, unsure of what's coming next. In every day , there are opportunities to pull away and connect deeply with God..... We might just have a few minutes, but those moments can make all the difference in the world. 

It's like having a drink of the purest , most refreshing water, when you're really thirsty, and then carrying on with the day. But our ability to drink deeply when we just have a few moments of time depends on how deep and full our drinking well is, and that in turn is proportional to how well we have learned to "be still and know Him"....... When we know someone intimately , we can connect deeply in a moment. Truthfully , the connection is always there, but my awareness of it ,and my sensitivity to it can fluctuate to extremes and it's possible to end up "feeling"disconnected.

    And so , I find myself compelled to withdraw at times for longer than just a few minutes or hours. I sense Holy Spirit saying....."come away with me..... Know my presence, hear my voice, see with my vision ...", and I have to leave what is my normal,everyday environment, and get away to be alone with my Lord. It might not seem practical or even possible, but when I respond to that desire, He makes a way for it to happen...

    This is where I am today. I walked in a forest a long way from home...... And I listened. I could hear birds singing arpeggios with an intensity like I'd never heard before. I tried to count how many different "songs" I could distinguish but they all seemed to blend in such a rich cacophony of sound and I ended up just listening in awe and wonder.

God, why do birds sing ? ........ There are all kinds of scientific theories about why birds make the sounds they do, communicating with one another in this detailed and defined way, but there is still such an element of mystery in it all. I watched a blackbird high in a tree and listened to its song. It was intricate , delicate , passionate, and I could not hear any other bird respond to the long melodic phrases it produced.  

God, why do birds sing? I sensed Your reply...."...because I created them to. Because I delight in the sound. Because creation is singing praise to its Creator."  And as I listened I heard more......."but how much more I delight in the  praises of my children. You were created to praise. Everyone is. I've given you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning........ And the GARMENT of praise instead of a heavy, burdened and failing spirit!!!!!!!!"

Oh Lord, oh Lord...... I felt like I had totally missed this.

For a moment it sounded like the birds in the forest were laughing..... At me! God, You have given me this gift but it's a garment. I have to put it on. I have a choice to put on the " praise hoodie" instead of wearing the "heavy hoodie" which will weigh me down, restrict me and is dull and uninteresting. It's one or the other.  And  the gifts that You, God, have promised in Isaiah 61:3 are a package. If I don't put on the praise hoodie, I'm not able to enjoy the gladness and the beauty.

Isaiah 43.21....... " the people I created for myself, a people custom-made to praise Me"......yes, yes I get it..... We are created to praise You! Why???? How??? 

Psalm 100:1 (The Message)......" On your feet now! Applaud God. (clapping) . Bring a gift of laughter... Sing yourselves into His presence.....". The rest of this Psalm is powerful!

God, You are omnipresent, You are everywhere. Surely we are continually in Your presence. 

I sensed His response to my why. " When you put on the garment of praise, when you posture your heart to praise Me, your awareness of and sensitivity to My presence increase and You are able to experience my Presence in an infinite number of ways. This is the fellowship of My Spirit. You are entering in "experientially". Joy and beauty intensify. " 

Psalm34:1

My soul praises You oh God. Let praise be continually in my mouth. My soul boasts in You oh God. Let the sad and afflicted hear the sound of our praise and be glad. Come on. Let us praise our God together .