Cycles of Life

God speaks to me through His creation.  Such was the case this past weekend when we went to visit the Delaware Bay and learned about what is considered one of the top 10 environmental phenomena on the planet.  We found an abundance of horseshoe crab shells on a narrow beach at the edge of the Delaware Bay.  As I began to research the reason for this, I was treated to information that confirms my faith in a God who cares for every creature He created.  "The birds of the sky nest by the waters; they sing among the branches.  He waters the mountain from His upper chambers; the land is satisfied by the fruit of His works.  He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate--bringing forth food from the earth...All creatures look to You to give them their food at the proper time...I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praises to my God as long as I live.  May my meditation be pleasing to Him as I rejoice in the Lord." (Psalm 104:12-14, 27, 34)

Horseshoe crabs, I read, are older than dinosaurs and one of nature's oldest creatures.  Millions of horseshoe crabs migrate from the ocean to the Delaware Bay in the spring.  The warm sand that surrounds the shallow waters of the Bay is perfect for incubating the eggs of the females.  They come to shore when the moon is full, making the tides high.  The males attach themselves to the back of the females who drag them ashore to fertilize the eggs.  During each tide cycle the female may lay four to five clutches of eggs or about 100,000 eggs.  When the sands are disturbed by the females' repeated trips to the shores, the clutches of eggs are split apart, and millions of eggs are washed into the water.  This is the reason for another phenomena at the Delaware Bay.

There is an ecological connection between the horseshoe crabs and migratory shore birds.  From the first week of May through the second week of June shorebirds migrate to the Delaware Bay.  The Bay is a critical habitat to more than 400 species of birds, and it is estimated that between 425,000 to one million of them converge on this sanctuary yearly.  A yearly migration takes place between different regions of South America and the Artic territories where millions of birds breed.  The birds only make one major stop to refuel during the middle of their 8,000-mile trip.  Their flight burns many calories, so there is a need for them to rebuild their fat reserves.  In order to complete their migration, they need to double their weight.  Horseshoe crab eggs provide just what the birds need to rebuild their fat reserves.  In one day, the eggs help the birds regain four to nine percent of their body weight.  It is common to see a huge congregation of birds pecking at the shorelines of the Bay during the full moon when the high waters are awash with horseshoe crab eggs. (Check out this web site for pictures and additional information:  Delmph.org/shorebirds)

Isn't it magnificent to know that God cares for every creature on the earth and establishes within them patterns of behavior and cycles of life that bring them the provision they need?  The Psalmist describes this in Psalm 145:15-16.  "The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing."  Jesus teaches us not to worry about our lives in Matthew 6:25-27.  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  We should be inspired by the yearly migration of the horseshoe crabs and birds.  Let us remember the words of Jesus during times of difficulty.  We are more valuable to Him than the birds and provision is waiting for us.