God's natural systems

A poignant contribution to our series on creation care and creature care from good friend Dean Ohlman of RBC Ministries and The Wonder of Creation ...

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
   they flow between the hills;
they give drink to every beast of the field;
   the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
   they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
   the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
   and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
   and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
   and bread to strengthen man's heart.

The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly,
   the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
   the stork has her home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
   the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

He made the moon to mark the seasons;
   the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night,
   when all the beasts of the forest creep about.
The young lions roar for their prey,
   seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they steal away
   and lie down in their dens.
Man goes out to his work
   and to his labor until the evening.

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
   In wisdom have you made them all;
   the earth is full of your creatures.
(Psalm 104:10-24, ESV, see note below)

If I had my druthers, I’d live in a house with a large back deck that overlooks a wooded marsh with some open water.  I could spend my waning years taking in the cycle of seasons and observing the wildlife that often makes marshes such a dynamic ecosystem.  I got a bit of that experience last evening as I sat in a sling chair with my binoculars taking in the wonderful wildness of a large marsh hardly a half mile from the RBC building, a preserved wetland surrounded by hotels, factories, office buildings, Costco, Staples, Target, and Dick’s Sporting Goods.  Most of these buildings went up after the Clean Water Act, hence saving the marsh.  Now many of the establishments around it actually celebrate it—some with groomed overlooks that had to cost thousands of dollars.  Last evening’s featured players were the tree swallows, female red-winged blackbirds, and carefully herded mallard ducklings—all dashing on and over the water looking for insects.  It was a virtual bird metropolis.  Saving that urban natural area has turned it into a treasure, and an easy-to-reach spot where this grandpa can take his grandchildren to see wildlife close-up. 

Dr. Cal DeWitt, former professor of ecological studies at the University of Wisconsin and former director of the Au Sable Institute for Environmental Studies, is a good friend—and he [the lucky duck!] lives on a huge marsh: the Waubesa Wetlands.  Once when he was campaigning for wetlands conservation and restoration in his township, he came across a couple farmers who told him they didn’t see much value in preserving their wetlands.  Dr. DeWitt knew they were both avid pike fisherman.  As an ecologist, when he explained to them that pike fingerlings depended upon wetlands for their survival, he won their support.

The truth, however,  is that all natural systems are important in God’s scheme of things—the value of most of them not so quickly grasped.  That God would care for a sparrow, the humblest and least attractive of birds, ought to be a sign to us that we should not see anything in nature’s community as being valueless or unnecessary.  All things in nature are interrelated—a fact well put by John Muir: “When we try to pick out anything by itself we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken to everything in the universe.”  Unspoiled wilderness provides us with the best of laboratories in which to learn about these connections.  That fact may well have been what Henry David Thoreau had in mind when he said “in wildness is the salvation of the earth.”

Modern science often gives us the impression that we really understand the complexity of wild nature.  The truth, however, was stated well by another ecologist: Frank Egler: “[Wilderness ecosystems] are not only more complex than we think, they are more complex than we can think.”  It’s in part because of such complex interconnectedness that our planet’s wild areas make us humble—which is the right attitude to have in the presence of our Creator and His priceless handiwork.  Maybe we are finally learning how foolish it is to destroy or drastically alter the systems God has put in place for His creatures—creatures that may not mean much to us, yet ones He cherishes and delights in.  “The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made” (Psalm 145:9).

Do we have compassion on all He has made—and are we seeking to do good toward all He has made?

(many thanks to Dean Ohlman, a regular and valued contributor, for sharing "God's Natural Systems," originally posted on The Wonder of Creation; please note that the English Standard Version was substituted for the introductory bible passage only because of a licensing requirement on this site; donkeys photo copyright Ina Van Hateren/123rf.com, ducklings photo courtesy Daryl DeVries, and John Muir photo courtesy Calisphere/Wikimedia Commons)