26/08/2026
Do you like seagulls? They are a bit like Marmite (other spreads are available!). You either love or hate them. Having experienced some of their bad behaviours at the seaside we have a rather negative view of them, particularly if they have pinched our food, or worse. However, one has to be impressed by their flying skills, particularly in a strong wind as they make it look so easy to loiter or move at speed.
I have recently asked myself why do they exist? What is their purpose? What use are they? Once you ask those questions you can start to think about all insects, animals, birds, and plants and trees. They are all things of beauty in their own ways, but of course, some can be life threatening to each other and to humans. The diversity of species is also amazing. So, what do all these things do for humans? Clearly a lot are sources of necessities to allow us to live. But of course so many provide us with beauty and pleasure. Overall, we probably would not choose to be without any of them, as long as some keep away from us!
Scientists tell us, with evidence, how things have evolved over millennia but are they able to say why each species has come about and developed in its own way? It’s a great mystery, but we believe that God created every living thing, and all of nature. During a recent visit by our Norwegian friends, the husband (not religious), repeatedly stated how beautiful our countryside is, and was convinced that there was some sort of creation leading to our earthly existence.
Psalm 104 praises God for His creative power and provision.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendour and majesty.
He wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
He makes winds his messengers,
flames of fire his servants.
He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
You covered it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.
He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
The birds of the air nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.
He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the earth is satisfied by the fruit of his work.
He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for man to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
w**e that gladdens the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine,
and bread that sustains his heart.
The trees of the Lord are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
There the birds make their nests;
the stork has its home in the pine trees.
The high mountains belong to the wild goats;
the crags are a refuge for the coneys.
The moon marks off the seasons,
and the sun knows when to go down.
You bring darkness, it becomes night,
and all the beasts of the forest prowl.
The lions roar for their prey
and seek their food from God.
The sun rises, and they steal away;
they return and lie down in their dens.
Then man goes out to his work,
to his labor until evening.
How many are your works, O Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
teeming with creatures beyond number—
living things both large and small.
There the ships go to and fro,
and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.
These all look to you
to give them their food at the proper time.
When you give it to them,
they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
When you hide your face,
they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
they die and return to the dust.
When you send your Spirit,
they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the Lord.
But may sinners vanish from the earth
and the wicked be no more.
Praise the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord.
Finally this well-known song expresses in simple words the Christian conviction.
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all
Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings:
The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset, and the morning
That brightens up the sky:
The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one:
He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well:
Amen
Peter Bruce
