"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."
~ Isaiah 40:29
It was a beastly hot afternoon, and I was busy answering cyber fan mail from my readers when Boom! With a sick feeling, I recognized the sound of a bird hitting our living room window.
Sadly, this has happened before, and we’ve lost two large robins over the years.
Promptly, I stood up to look, and lying there on the deck was a beautiful male hummingbird, stunned from the blow, its limp right wing splayed out from its trembling body. My heart fell at the sight, and I began to whisper a prayer for its recovery.
Ten or more minutes passed, and while I was beseeching God to let this helpless bird survive, I noticed what looked like white tears coming from its tiny eyes. Quickly, I headed outdoors and stood between the wounded hummingbird and the scorching sun, creating some shade with my own shadow.
After a time, I tiptoed over to the little creature and whispered a bit of encouragement—“You’re all right, little guy,” I said softly. “God sees you.” Faith-filled words like a mother might say to her little child.
Then, reaching out my pointer finger, I ever so delicately stroked the iridescent blue and green back feathers, still praying softly, surprised I could get so close. And as I did, I remembered the year my dear dad came to live with us, and how fond he was of the hummingbirds at our feeder . . . even giving them names. Dad liked to wear his bright-colored shirts to attract them, and they did, coming right up to his outstretched hand at times.
What would Dad do? I wondered as I peered closer at the suffering bird.
After a moment, I returned inside the house to find my husband, Dave, searching online to see how to care for a hummingbird’s broken wing. “Do we have a small box where it can recover?” he asked.
“We’ll find something,” I replied.
Turning back to the window, I checked again on the little bird and noticed his tiny, thin beak was moving rapidly. “I think he needs sugar water,” I told Dave. And quickly, we created a little feeder, which Dave carried outside and held near the quivering beak. I hovered near, holding my breath and watching.
Would the poor thing accept it? Would it help?
The first sip was miniscule. I wasn’t sure I’d seen a swallow just maybe.
Then came another sip, slowly, almost painstakingly so. And a second wee swallow.
“Please help this bird,” I whispered, believing with all my heart that God cared as much as we did. “He has a growing family nearby over in that bush,” I told the Lord, as if He didn’t know all things.
The bird’s third swallow was more obvious, and Dave and I waited, eyes locked on the tiny bird’s body, our hearts filled with hope.
“Flutter,” I whispered. “Just a little.”
More waiting.
Then it happened. What I’d thought was a broken wing moved slightly, and next, a single flutter. Then . . . miraculously, the once vulnerable, stunned hummingbird flew away . . . straight toward the feeder on the other side of the deck.
Thinking back on the incident now, a kind of sweetness lingers in my mind. My faith had certainly swelled with the end result—God’s answer to prayer for one of His tiniest creatures.
I do realize, of course, that the verse in Isaiah above was meant for people, not necessarily for hummingbirds. But I know that our heavenly Father also cares about His entire creation, fragile and delicate though it may be.
I pray this glimpse from one very special afternoon this summer will also give you hope, friend, and even an eagerness to cling to faith in any given situation.
August blessings,
—Beverly Lewis
1) Only two months until my beautiful, updated Amish cookbook The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook, 20th Anniversary edition is released. You can preorder from the following retailers.
2) I'm delighted to share that my handcrafted "Butterfly Blessings" cards (6-pack) are available to order at www.amishcheer.com. These are so pretty, I keep them at the ready to send out as encouragements to friends and family all year long. Your recipients will love them, too!
3) Thanks for your many sweet comments to me on social media and for posting reviews at www.amazon.com, friends. You are truly appreciated!
