Spring…
It is slow coming to those of us who live in northern Minnesota. The first sense of spring for me is the chorus of frogs chirping to each other while trying to attract a mate. They appear before the crocuses and tulips around here. The loudest singing (if that what you can call it) male frogs attract the most females. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to give you a biology lesson on frogs.)
Some people look for the sweet little sprouts pushing their way through the thawing soil for their signs of spring. While others for the crocuses, daffodils and tulips. But not me, I listen for the chorus of the Peeper frogs.
I hear them pretty clearly at night but if I walk past a swamp even in the day, they can almost be deafening. To me they are the heralds of spring. Mostly because I can’t grow bulb plants…squirrels and rabbits have raided my gardens too often. I gave up.
Tonight, I was out at my usual time of 11:30 pm walking my dog, Oliver, in the yard. Oliver pranced around with a toy he had stolen from the yard of the dog next door. He was pretty proud of his thievery. (Maybe I need to review the 10 Commandments with him.)
I was focused on the beauty of the night as the Peeper frogs tried to out sing their competition. The clouds hid the stars and the moon. The midnight blue sky was dotted with grey-white clouds. The air was moist from a gentle rain earlier and the grass had started turning so green I could even tell in the dark.
As I looked around, I was once again, overwhelmed by the beauty of nature…of how amazingly intricate God’s macrocosm is. It almost took my breath away. At times like that I wish I was a singer so I could join the Peeper frogs and shout out praises to my Creator.
(Rabbit trail alert: I was looking for a synonym for nature…did not want to use it twice in the same sentence. I found macrocosm whose synonyms are nature, world and universe. That is so much more encompassing than nature for the Creator God. That’s my word from now on…it almost says it all.)
I tried to sing some worship song that I barely remember but unfortunately, I ended up making up my own words to a tune that is unrecognizabl.
In Psalm 98, God does tell us to “make a joyful noise”. Hopefully He will consider my attempts at praising Him in song a joyful noise. The Psalm goes on to say that all the earth should make a joyful noise. And that is what I think the Peeper frogs are doing…joining all the other night animals. There is the hooting of the owl, dogs barking from afar, cows mooing, coyotes yipping and an occasional wolf howling. Praising God as they are created to do.
There is a man named Martyn Stewart who has spent his whole life collecting audio of living creatures. The show 60 Minutes ( Stewart Copeland album “Wild Concerto” fuses music with sounds of hyenas, monkeys, owls – CBS News) did a special on him because he and Kenneth Copeland are creating an orchestral album combining music with the animal sounds. I found it fascinating. To me it shows even more so the incredible mind of our Creator that the animal voices could be in harmony with an orchestra…a joyful noise from all the earth!
As humans, sometimes our joyful noises are different than just worshiping at church. It may be women (and/or men) discussing God in a Bible Study, or a mother softly singing hymns over her sweet child, someone sharing the gospel with others, children’s laughter in youth group, or a nurses soothing words to a suffering patient…I could go on and on…
Any time we use our voices to honor our Creator God is a form of worship. That is music to God’s ear.
And honestly, prayer too is a beautiful joyful noise…possibly the best. It is a conversation with the Lord that He welcomes you into…calls you into. That is why He created man to have fellowship with Him…and those who refuse to respond to His welcoming, sadden His heart.
It saddens my heart too.
…….PS……
I started this a couple days ago in the first week of May. Last night it was 35 degrees out. And I did not hear even a peep from the Peeper frogs! Too cold for them. Maybe spring will come next week…I can only hope!
“Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.” Psalm 98:4 KJV
“God will do this, for He is faithful to do what He says, and He has invited you into partnership with His son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 NLT
I love the sound of frogs and crickets and you are right on about them sometimes being SO LOUD
Thank you. You words always give me peace and remind me who is in control.
I love the sounds of spring as well, Phyllis. Here we often hear the birds singing and it is a joy to my heart.
All of God’s
creations are incredible!