Be a Hummingbird!

You know what they say about location and real estate. For years, researchers couldn’t figure out why hummingbird nests often appear in clusters in certain areas, and not in others. It turned out the answer was “good neighbors.”

What is the Glory of God?

Years ago, my husband, JR, and I began to wonder what exactly is the glory of God, what does it look like. On the surface, the question seemed rather simple. But the more we tried to pinpoint what constitutes His glory, simplicity vanished altogether. When it comes to God, there is always another level of understanding and revelation with every encounter you have with Him.

For years, JR and I begin our morning with a perfect cup of coffee on the front porch and spend time with one another and Jesus. We live right outside a small waterfront town called Port Deposit. Our front yard is an oasis for every kind of bird that calls Maryland home, and it is fantastical to see! Not long after we began discussing how one could possibly define His glory, a hummingbird joined us. His colorfully iridescent feathers seeming to stand still while moving at a rate my eyes could not comprehend. While at rest, the hummingbird is a delicate and slender bird with a long, needle-like bill they help to pollinate flowers while fueling their rapid movement with its nectar.

As we sat watching this tiny majestic creature, we found precisely what we were hoping to discover…the glory of God! Watching him hover and move with grace and purpose between each plant, we saw His glory. Whenever creation does exactly what the Lord designed it to do, the glory of our Creator is on full display!

When you travel through this life doing exactly what God designed YOU to do, you are exuding the precious light of the glory of God! You and I both are crowned with His glory. So the most pressing question is, do you know what your purpose is? I believe that once you know whose you are, believe that you are, as Ephesians 2:10 says, His masterpiece, your purpose can’t help but to shine like the light off the wings of the hummingbird.

Like an artist approaching a blank canvas, God began pouring out everything that is in Him as he created you. When people see you, the handiwork of the greatest Creator, they see the unique passion He instilled in you, the dreams He dreamt for His child, the hope you have been given, and the joy of the Father laying bare His heart as He joyfully wove together all the exquisiteness in the miracle that is you! You are one of God’s crowning achievements, and that is an identity that no one can steal from you, as it is not a character trait but an undeniable truth because you are a reflection of the brilliance of the Artist himself.

Hawks. Hummingbirds. Real Estate?

Now you might be asking, “Okay, Jessie, I hear you, but what does any of this have to do with hawks, hummingbirds, and real estate?” I am so glad you asked…and great job following along!

Once JR and I had found the analogy between God’s glory and the life of a hummingbird, I became more and more curious about their lives. God being God means that our conversation most likely wasn’t finished. I discovered that hummingbirds really have two purposes in this life, one to help pollinate the flowers of the world, as well as being a part of the great food chain. That made total sense to me that these petite and fragile flyers would be ideal prey for everything larger than them. So how in the world have these helpless beauties not gone extinct?

The answer is quite simple and absolute proof of the perfect planning of our God! When nesting, hummingbirds build their nest close to a hawk’s nest. This is brilliance! The one predator that does not see hummingbirds as prey is hawks! Not only do these hummers live under the hawk for protection, but it seems like the mere presence of the hawk’s nest creates a cone-like area of protection for the hummingbirds! Again, here we are about to witness the glory of God unfolding before us as we learn how this all occurs!

Before I even understood the details of the relationship between hummers and hawks, I had begun to imagine myself as a hummingbird. Flittering and dancing about life, walking in my purpose to fulfill the destiny God has for my life. I began to picture, in my very best paraphrasing, the enemy, the devil prowling about my life, waiting and watching for the perfect moment to pounce and swallow me up. BUT GOD! I cannot, in my own capacity, protect myself without God. But as long as I stay close to our Abba, right up under the nest and the cone of protection, the safer I am.

The morning after I had written everything before this sentence, I opened my Bible to Psalm 91, and I could not help but let a giggle escape my lips at the sheer attention to detail and timing of God’s revealing things to each of us. I have read Psalm 91 a number of times over the years, but never did I hear it echo the analogy of the hummingbird, hawk, and location, location, location.

The Protection of the Most High

“The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.” Psalm 91: 1-4

“Because you have made the LORD-my refuge, the Most High-your dwelling place, no harm will come to you…” Psalm 91:9

Can you hear Him?

Researchers still seem slightly puzzled by the hummingbird/hawk relationship, saying, “This unique occurrence of a major predator providing a sanctuary for one of the smallest creatures is unprecedented in the aviary world.” Can you hear God’s purposed Word that matches the way He designed this oddity of best friends? Only God could create this friendship as the clear explanation of the strategy we need to stay nestled under His merciful protection so the enemy cannot devour us, and then give us the curiosity to ask the questions that He answered long before we breathed our first breath.

If you can be anything, be a Hummingbird! Make sure you are living under His prime real estate!

Share