My husband left early for a boat dive one morning on our recent vacation, so I settled onto our balcony in Curaçao for my devotion time. This Is My Father’s World was my hymn for worship, and it fit the view in front of me so well that everything else faded. I had no idea the water below held a lesson in trusting God’s provision.
The balcony faces west over the ocean. A soft breeze drifts in off the water, and the sound of the waves mixes with birdsong and the voices of fishermen working their catch. Every sound fits the hymn’s promise that all nature sings.
Ten local fishermen worked as one crew. They secured a holding net to keep their catch alive, then hauled what looked like hundreds of yards of net into a small boat. A diver went deep to anchor the bottom edge, and a snorkeler swam inside the ring, tossing out anything that did not belong. I suspect he was also checking for sea turtles, since these waters are known for them.
Once everything was secure, a pelican glided in and settled inside the ring. My first thought was that I had never seen a lazier bird. He did not dive or search. He floated where the fish were and scooped up dinner whenever he pleased.
These all look to You, to give them their food in due season. When You give it to them, they gather it up; when You open Your hand, they are filled with good things. Psalm 104:27–28 (ESV)
Trusting God’s Provision Means Staying Inside His Boundaries
It took me a few minutes to see the scene differently. That pelican was not lazy. He knew where the provision was, and he stayed there. The fishermen had done the hard work of gathering the fish and keeping out anything that could harm them, and the pelican trusted that space enough to remain in it.
Psalm 104 came to mind, a psalm that celebrates God’s care over the sea and every creature in it. The psalmist describes each creature looking to God for food in due season and gathering it up when He opens His hand. That pelican gathered what had already been placed in front of him instead of hunting for more.
I am not always so wise. My heart tends to wander outside the boundaries God sets, convinced that something better waits beyond them. Those boundaries look like limits until I recognize them as the place where He has gathered what I need and shut out what would hurt me.
“Those boundaries look like limits until I recognize them as the place where He has gathered what I need.”
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Rest Comes From Trusting God’s Provision
Forty-five minutes later, the pelican was still inside the ring, but he had stopped fishing. He floated on the surface, full and safe, with nothing hunting him. The bird looked content to enjoy the morning.
I understood him. This vacation has given me room to set down my to-do list and linger over God’s handiwork. The pelican found rest once he stopped chasing, and I find it the same way, by trusting God’s provision instead of my own striving.
Caring for the World God Entrusted to Us
The fishermen stayed busy the whole time. Once their catch was secure, they snorkeled around the outside of the net and kept tossing something toward shore. I could not tell what it was from my balcony, but it looked like the crew was clearing debris from the water as they worked. They take pride in these waters. The hymn in my ears reminded me that this is my Father’s world, and those men were tending it well.
God Fills Us So He Can Send Us Out
By late morning the fishermen had left, and their holding net stayed secure with the day’s catch inside. Then, to my surprise, that well-fed pelican took off. He flew low over the water, heavy with his meal, but he left satisfied and ready for the rest of his day.
God fills us so He can send us back out. Where are you straining to hunt for what He has already provided? Maybe today is the day to start trusting God’s provision. Settle inside His care, eat your fill, and let Him lift you when it is time to fly.
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