We live near a lake. I was walking around it on the concrete walkway one Sunday afternoon as a cold southerly breeze blew.
What is that?
I stopped to sit on a park bench and distantly saw something white flapping in the water. Some seagulls hovered above it, looking down.
I continued to watch as it was slowly blown towards the northern shore. I walked to where it would be blown. As it came closer, I could easily see it was a seagull. Its head was awkwardly bent sideways back over its body. It was clearly distressed.
The rescue
As I was now beside it, I took off my sneakers and jacket, skidded down the bank, gently caught hold of it and immediately saw the problem. A large fishhook penetrated from the underside of its beak with about 15 centimetres of tangled line attached. It was helpless and would surely have drowned.
As I couldn’t get back up to the walkway with the entangled bird, I called out to a guy sitting on a nearby bench. He rushed over and took the bird as I struggled back up to the path. I took it back and held it carefully as he laboured to manoeuvre the hook. We worked to extract it without harming the bird.
In two days’ time I was teaching Scripture to 11-12 year olds at a government primary school and told them this story. I mentioned that as I held close to me my little feathered friend it bit down on my finger. This stranger and I had our heads close together as he carefully laboured away and I prayed. I asked God to talk to this bird and keep it calm as we worked to free it.
I told the class that prayer is like a set of traffic lights. God may say ‘no’ to our prayer which is like the red stop light, or His answer may be like the amber light when He says ‘not yet - wait’. And sometimes His answer is like the green light when He says ‘yes okay’.
I told them my wife and I had received a red light answer when we planned to purchase a certain block of ground. We met builders on site and spent much wasted time there. God sees at once the whole time-line of our lives but we only see the frame in front of us. He had a better plan in mind. I imagined He shook His head as He closed off all hope of us ever purchasing that earlier block. Now we’re glad He did. We know that: He works out everything for the good of those who love Him, which we do. (Romans chapter 8 verse 28).
Answered prayer
My request to this little bird’s mighty Creator required a green light at that moment. Any other answer would be too late. I didn’t need an answer next week: I needed it then and there.
During this bird’s ordeal s/he remained calm and still. I knew God had answered my prayer. Do I believe He can ‘talk to the animals’? Absolutely, and He did.
It took a while, including turning the straight shaft of the hook this way and that as walkers gathered to watch. Finally the hook was removed apparently without injury to ‘my’ patient.
My helper left and disposed of the hook and line in a nearby garbage bin. I was alone with ‘my’ seagull. Its neck was freed up. I settled him in my hands and straightened him out a bit, placed him on the walkway and stepped back.
Afterwards
He preened himself for a while rearranging his displaced feathers as, like birds do he faced into the breeze. He opened his wings, was raised up by the breeze and returned to settle on the grass.
The hook had pierced from underneath through the soft membrane within the outer ‘frame’ of his lower beak, and in his struggle for freedom his head had become twisted backward.
There was spotted blood on his chest but he did not appear to be seriously injured. Interestingly, some of his mates came and again hovered overhead as he rested on the pathway, which told me there was concern within his little community for the plight of one of its own.
I waited as he preened some more and when satisfied he was okay, left him to rejoin his friends. Careless fishermen who thoughtlessly cut lines leaving morsels of bait in floating hooks perform a painful disservice to God’s wildlife, but I felt good that I had been available at that time and place of need.
What God says
Every animal of the forest [and lake] are mine…I know every bird in the mountains [and lake] and the creatures of the field are mine. (Psalm 50 verses10/11).
Job knew the animal kingdom can teach us. Ask…the birds of the air and they will tell you…Which of these does not know that…in His hands is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. (Job chapter 12 verses 7, 9/10).
As King David said to his son Solomon: Acknowledge God serving Him wholeheartedly and willingly for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him He will be found by you. (1 Chronicles chapter 28 verse 9).
Regrettably I have never heard a sermon preached on these sobering words: Whoever finds Me finds life and receives favour from the LORD. But whoever fails to find Me harms himself; all who hate Me love death. (Proverbs chapter 8 verses 35/36).