Great and Small

And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."  So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds and every winged bird according to its kind.  And God saw that it was good.  God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase innumber and fill the water in the seas and let the birds increase on the earth,"  And there was evening, and there was morning - the fifth day. 
Genesis 1:20-23

We have all seen birds in our lives of one kind or another.  Everything from common seagulls, pigeons and swallows to more majestic or exotic birds like flamingos, toucans, or eagles.  We can easily see special song type birds in our speciality pet stores, bird sanctuaries or along a nature walk anywhere in the world.

God's Creativity In Small Sizes

A hummingbird can be found as small as 2.25 - 8.25 inches (5.7 - 20.9cm) and weighing from .07 - 7oz  (.004 - .4 pounds).  These birds can dive from the air at 60mph (96kmh) and cruse along at 25-30 mph (40-50kmh).  At 343 species they are the second largest bird family in the Western Hemisphere. They are the only bird that can fly backwards, forwards, up, down, or sideways. See http://www.buzzle.com for more info on hummingbirds.



God's Creativity In Large Sizes

To see an animal as large as a whale is truly a rare and memorable experience.  I will never forget sighting my first whale just down the road from where I live in South Africa, just outside of Simon's Town.  It was either a southern right or humpback whale that had left the icy Antarctica waters to come to the warmer climates here.  These animals have come to mate, calve and rear their young.  As a result the waters "teem" with these powerful, yet elegant and acrobatic giants.

To give you an idea of the size God created them, an adult female can reach from 12 - 18 meters (39 - 59 feet) and weigh between 45 - 66 tonnes (99,200 - 145,505 pounds).  An African elephant can weigh between 4 - 8 tonnes, so you would need approximately ten elephants to equal one whale.  Adult whales can eat up to 400kg of food consisting mostly of krill and plankton each day.   Their lifespan is approximately 50 years but may be as much as 100. See http://www.tenan.vuurwerk.nl for more info on southern right whales.

God created the winged birds of the air, from the smallest hummingbird, to the "great creatures of the sea" and then gave us dominion over them.   As a result we have a great responsibility to care for this world with as much concern as God put into creating it.  Let us not take lightly this responsibility to learn about creation and about the role we have in managing it in honor of the One who created it.  In so doing we will see that creation declares His glory, reveals His existence and verifies His love for us.

Romans 1:19 " ...since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."