This past weekend we went to Philip Island for our church camp. Saturday afternoon we strolled along the Nobbies boardwalks and saw spectacular views of the coast. We also saw several fairy penguins in their little burrows as well as under the boardwalk.
These little penguins are not only adorable, but they’re unique. This particular specie of penguins is not only the smallest, but also the only penguin with blue and white feathers. They can spend over 4 weeks out at sea fishing for anchovies, squid, and even sea jellies. Once they’ve found enough food, they wait in groups for dusk, when they can hide from predators, and then they waddle across the shore to find their way home.
Using unique calls, the parents call for their chicks, who cheep back until they are reunited. The parent then regurgitates the food and feeds the hungry baby who has been patiently waiting all day (or several days) for a feed. Then they nest together in their burrows for a rest.
Through nature we can see the devotion of parents towards their young and the total dependence of the young in their parents. It is a lovely picture of the kind of love and trust that can develop between God and His people.
Psalm 36:5-9
Your love is faithful, Lord,
and even the clouds in the sky
can depend on you.
Your decisions are always fair.
They are firm like mountains,
deep like the sea,
and all people and animals
are under your care.
Your love is a treasure,
and everyone finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
You give your guests a feast
in your house,
and you serve a tasty drink
that flows like a river.
The life-giving fountain
belongs to you,
and your light gives light
to each of us.
Psalm 63:7,8
You have helped me,
and I sing happy songs
in the shadow of your wings.
I stay close to you,
and your powerful arm
supports me.
Waiting can be hard. While we wait for our needs and desires to be met, it can be lonely in our burrow. But God is not inactive nor ignorant. He is working hard to give us the desires of our hearts – and He will come to us in the dusk, calling for us to answer His voice and rest in the shadow of His wing.
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
