It was the oddest noise.
A few years ago, my husband and I were out for our morning walk and heard a peculiar sound. We stopped to listen and wondered aloud what it could be…the sound was something like a squirrel in distress, and it was difficult to pinpoint its whereabouts.
“Is it over there in the woods?”
“No, it’s over here in this tree!”
“Wait…listen…listen, I think it’s coming from that big bush!”
After a few minutes of this back and forth we moved on. He decided it was a bird. (It didn’t really sound like one.)
Afterwards, to my surprise, I identified it as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Cuckoo! I thought Cuckoos were a tropical bird, something exotic, something eccentric. But one is hanging out here in my neighborhood (and if one, probably two). Since then, I’ve heard them all about the neighborhood every summer. Since their song is so distinguishable, I’ve become alert to it and am always trying to spot one. But I haven’t laid eyes on the Yellow-billed Cuckoo yet! They are so elusive!
This photo by Michael Fogleman, shows how this cuckoo got its name. I love those bold spots on the tail feathers!
In all this searching, I’ve realized how helpful it is to have a mental picture of birds’ habits in mind as I try to find them. When I hear a wren’s song, I can imagine it on a branch or ledge that’s usually visible, with its head tilted back, beak in the air, and chest pumping. If I hear a mockingbird, I know to start looking for the high point of a tree or roofline. When I think of Brown Thrashers, I imagine their flight low across our back yard, down in the mulch, or singing from a high point. I find Nuthatches creeping along on outreaching tree limbs or moving about their trunks and Eastern Towhees on the ground under a bush or our feeder.
I realize now that the behaviors and tendencies of many different birds have become familiar to me through listening and observing their habits over time. This familiarity, these bits of knowledge, enables my understanding and delight. Recognizing their voice makes me feel acquainted. Sometimes I feel apprised of their situation by the nature of their call.
When I don’t recognize a call, I don’t know where to look since I don’t have that informed mental picture. Instead of familiarity and corroboration, there’s scrutiny because my mental slate is blank.
Reflecting on this has drawn a parallel for me in thinking of an Other who I’ve never seen. I dare say it’s because of a correlation with one of my favorite quotes.
“What comes to mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” A. W. Tozer
Why is this so important?
God’s truth provides context for our lives. Like the habitat of a bird or even the context of a word in a paragraph, He has a surrounding definitive story that gives meaning with which we interpret and respond. Our responses in life are impacted, more than that—they’re governed—by what we think of Him. Maybe it goes further. Could we say our responses are what we think of Him? We interpret the circumstances of our lives based on what we believe about Him, and we respond in fashion.
It’s in the details of our days. What we think of Him is depicted not only in our actions and words, but in our motivations and goals, our thought patterns, our emotions, our longings, and our places of rest. All of these carry the impression of how we receive His love offer and how deeply we trust Him.
1 John 5:20a tells us, “…the Son of God has come and has given us understanding that we may know Him who is true.” This means that we can know Him and that God desires it so much, that he sent His Son for this purpose. Jesus, in praying before being betrayed and taken away says, “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).
Therefore, knowing Him rightly is crucial.
Dear reader, I can almost hear a response, “Yeah, but…” followed by question. Questions from a seeking heart are good! In fact, we can draw on the same questions I had in looking for this unusual bird.
- How can I find Him?
- What is He like?
- How do I recognize His voice; how do I distinguish it in the midst of many?
Exploring these questions might raise others.
- Where is he coming from? In Scripture He says some odd things compared to what our human nature or our culture or organized religion would say.
- What’s His intention?
As we go into birds’ habitats to seek them out, we can do the same with the Savior, listening intently for Him. His Word is a trustworthy revelation of who He is and His dealings with us, His handiwork. It’s in spending time with Him in His Word, seeking and listening, that we learn who He is, who we are, and how to respond. In this dialogue is where we increasingly comprehend how He knows and loves us and accordingly, learn to know Him and love Him.
In the pursuit of an ever deeper understanding and relational knowledge of Him, our greatest treasure, we begin to sample all the wealth of the storehouses of our inheritance.
Although I haven’t yet seen a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, I look forward with expectancy to seeing him one day. For now, his call validates his presence for me. I recognize his voice and hearing it escalates my desire to see him.
May our hearts yearn within us Lord, to see You with our own eyes, as You are, face to face, and not as a stranger (See Job 19:25-27, 1 Cor. 13:12, 1 John 3:2, Rev. 22:4).
I always enjoy Michael Fogleman’s bird photography on Instagram @michael.fogleman.
Some other compelling Scriptures on this subject of knowing God: 1 Chronicles 28:9 (David to Solomon); Jeremiah 9:23-24 (a word from the Lord to Jeremiah); Ephesians 1:17-18 or Colossians 1:9 (Paul’s prayers for believers); Philippians 3:8-10 (Paul’s personal testimony on what matters); 2 Peter 1:2-8 (Peter to those of faith).
