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HUMMINGBIRDS really are amazing creatures. They can flap their wings 12 – 90 times per second, reach speeds of more than 54 kilometres per hour, hover and
fly backwards. Some have been known to fly non-stop 800 kilometres across the
Gulf of Mexico.
A hummingbird’s heart can beat up to 1,260 beats per minute. They must drink enormous amounts
of flower nectar – often consuming more than their own body weight every day.
We are privileged to have several of these remarkable creatures visit the
flowers in our yard, and my wife Jackie has put a feeder on our back porch. The birds empty the feeder several times over spring
and summer.
One day this spring, Jackie was tipping the feeder to remove air bubbles – when a hummingbird suddenly appeared. She froze, her hand still on one side of
the feeder, while the bird drank from the other side. The creature moved around
to her side. Its whirring wings brushed her hand as it drank. She stood
unmoving, awestruck by the rare privilege.
The Old Testament writer records that Solomon’s heart turned away from God, even though the Lord had appeared to him twice.
In the New Testament era, most Christians can recall many more encounters with
God than two over the course of their lifetimes.
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I wonder. Do we tend to forget those encounters, as Solomon apparently did? Do
we stroll unthinking into the house of God, accepting his presence as just part
of the routine? Or are we awestruck, as Jackie was by being brushed by a
hummingbird’s wings?
Do we stand in awe that not just a creature – but the Lord of all creation – has granted us an amazing privilege, by reaching down from heaven and touching
us?
– Jim Coggins
June 2009
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