Blackbirds

Thousands of blackbirds were perched together to blacken the tallest branches of the rust-and-gold treetops as I clipped along on my lakeshore walk this afternoon. My memory told me they were cackling away like crazy.  But even with the help of my hearing aids, today I could only hear a faint murmur of their lowest tones.   As a child I’d wondered what such huge flocks of blackbirds could possibly be saying to each other with such rapid-fire conversation, and how in the world they could hear each other with all that raucous gabbing going on.

Now that I’m a bit older and my perspectives have changed, I’m tempted to think they’re not communicating with each other at all, but simply praising and worshipping their Creator. 

This evening I discovered a short devotional online:

Why do birds sing?  They sing because of WHO GOD IS.  His praise was built into them. He so ordered (commanded) their praise when He included them in the list of who should praise Him in Psalm 148.  The psalmist does not mention God’s blessings as a basis for praise. “He alone is exalted” and worthy of praise.