Sometimes when JB’s sister goes on a trip, we bird sit for her. She has owned canaries for the past few years, lovely yellow songbirds that entertain and intrigue me. Having known nothing about birds before, I’ve learned some lessons from them.
Historically, Spanish sailors brought canaries from the Canary Islands to Europe, and they served as symbols of wealth in royal courts. But unlike almost all other birds, canaries sing a variety of songs. The closest thing I’d experienced to this was hearing mockingbirds in South Florida. They mimic the songs of other birds. Yet canaries make up their own songs and can produce up to 30 distinct sounds—according to mypetcanary.com.
Ephesians 5:18-19 encourages us to be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Like canaries, we can always have a song in our hearts as we go through the day. Who knows? Maybe canaries are singing praises to their Creator!
Pet canaries need owners to replace their water and food on a regular basis. Their feathers and droppings often fall into the bowls, so canary owners take care to clean those containers and provide fresh sources of nutrition. In a similar way, God wants us to seek fresh “food” from His Word daily. Jesus quoted scripture to Satan during the wilderness temptation, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” God’s Word is our spiritual food. And just as God provided new manna for the children of Israel during their wilderness experience, the Scriptures offer fresh food for us each day.
Finally, when molting, canaries will stop their singing and need a little encouragement as a reminder. Canary owners will play YouTube recordings of canaries singing to give their own pets a little nudge in the right direction. The birds know how to sing, but get distracted as they shed old feathers. In the same way, we get distracted by the cares of the world and forget to focus on the truth. That’s why we, of all people in history, are so blessed to have easy access to so many wise and inspiring Bible teachers. Listening to a pastor teach God’s Word at church or from the comfort of our home (or even streaming on a walk from our phones) can be just the thing to get our hearts singing again. Psalm 119 tells us that God’s Word nourishes our souls, strengthens our bones, encourages the discouraged, gives us peace and hope, and grants us wisdom, among many other benefits. All we need to do is hear it.
Romans 10:17 teaches, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. His Word feeds us, encourages us, and gives us something to sing about! Let’s join the canaries today and encourage our hearts to sing a new song to the Lord! It’s part of what we were created for!
