I Don’t Have to See It
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. Mark 4:27 (NIV)
Pileated woodpeckers can be nerve racking. They don’t seem to take a break. On our dirt-road rides, it is quite easy to see their handiwork. The trees are dead with huge holes all around. Remember that this beautiful feathered wonder is doing what comes naturally—searching for bugs that hide beneath the tree bark. Lawrence W. Wilson writes in (All God’s Creatures) about how we don’t have to see God to know that nature is alive.
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A pileated woodpecker has taken up residence in my neighborhood. That jackhammer-like pecking is unmistakable. The sound is more like a machine gun than a birdcall, and it travels a long distance. This is no mild-mannered downy woodpecker, the quiet, gentle forager who hops from limb to lime in search of food. This is a large, long-beaked bird sporting a jaunty red-crest who bores into solid oak with the relentlessness of a heavy-metal drummer. I call him Woody Woodpecker. (Side note: The pileated woodpecker became the cartoon character that brought smiles and laughter to millions around the world.)
Here’s the thing: I’ve never seen this particular bird. I don’t have to. That distinctive sound tells me everything I need to know. Sight is useful for identifying birds, but it’s not necessary in all cases. Hearing works just as well most of the time.
I know from experience that woodpeckers like Woody can be destructive, especially if they take a liking to your wood siding. But I’ve taken a liking to this rat-a-tat-tat sound. It reminds me that creation is alive and growing, with bees buzzing, birds chirping, dogs barking, and woodpeckers pecking, whether I can see them or not.
The Gospel is like this: the Word of God is out there, growing in the hearts of believers and taking root in many unbelievers. I can hear it in words of forgiveness spoken between a wife and husband, and tears and laughter of a father’s reunion with a wayward son, or the voice of a child who has learned to say, “You go first.”
Sometimes, when I feel self-important, as if God is virtually helpless to save the world without my constant work, I sit on the porch and listen to Woody rooting a carpenter ant out of a sycamore tree. And I remember that God’s kingdom is doing very well despite my best efforts to help it along.
Lord, give me the faith to know that You are redeeming this world, even when I can’t see it for myself. AMEN.