https://odb.org/2026/07/17/flight-school
Job 38:31–41 (NIV): 31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
34 “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
Dragonflies are dainty insects with some of the most amazing flight and endurance capabilities. Their aerial abilities have been studied to improve flight technology. Scientists recently found that with its wings beating thirty times a second, a dragonfly that has fallen upside-down can right itself in just 0.2 seconds. Its eyes process an incredible two hundred images per second to determine which way is up and make tiny adjustments.
God’s creativity and wisdom are on display all throughout our natural world. In the book of Job, the main character struggles to reconcile his suffering with God’s goodness and righteousness. God responds by asking Job, “Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” (38:33). How exactly does a dragonfly maneuver so incredibly? We have a lot to learn. And yet we can trust that the all-knowing God who designed these creatures is the same one who knows how to bring us from the darkest night into the light and joy of His presence. (Karen Pimpo, Our Daily Bread 17th July 2026)
God’s majestic creation reveals many things about His nature. In creation, we see evidence of His power (Romans 1:20), for He spoke the universe into existence (Genesis 1:3; Hebrews 11:3). Creation reveals His sense of order (Psalm 139:13-14) and His brilliant design (v. 15). Perhaps above all else, however, it teaches us about His sovereignty (Colossians 1:15-18). Not only did He create the universe by the word of His power, but He’s even now maintaining that universe. He not only made everything, but He also rules over all that He’s made (v. 17). The challenge for believers in Jesus is to live in the conscious awareness of His power, His word, His order, and His design. We can trust the creator of the universe to help us in our trials and bring us into the joy of His presence. (Bill Crowder, Insight, Our Daily Bread 17th July 2026)
When I look at nature, I’m always fascinated by the complexity of God’s creation. Just today’s focus on the dainty dragonfly, you’ll be amazed at its ability to adjust itself when it falls upside down. Similar to how the domestic cat naturally adjusts its body to fall on its four legs from height.
I love documentaries and recently watched a clip on BBC using infrared light (night vision) on a drone tracking a male tiger moving towards a mother with her two juvenile cubs. The crew was so afraid that the male was looking to kill the cubs and might have ended up killing the mother as well. If you know general tiger behaviour, females raise their young on their own and are fiercely protective of their babies. In the end, it turned out that the male was part of the family, the patriarch, and this clip was the first if not the very few recorded evidence of a tiger family with both father and mother and their cubs! Nature has a way of even confounding our own comprehension of it! You may catch that clip here:
BBC One – Tiger Island, Series 1, Episode 2, A rare tiger family moment caught on camera https://share.google/LH4MJsvEQzkErV3Wc
Nature has its own way of amazing us and all this points to a creator. The intricate details of each species, whether animals or plants or even other organisms or how our internal organs work or how our bodies fight microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye. As believers of Christ, we must always remember that Christ paved the way for us to reconnect with this all powerful and all knowing God, the God who created the universe and everything in it, by His spoken word. The same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In the words of Karen Pimpo in today’s ODB – “And yet we can trust that the all-knowing God who designed these creatures is the same one who knows how to bring us from the darkest night into the light and joy of His presence”.
The LORD God is our Heavenly Father and He loves and cares for us, our wellbeing, the state of our spiritual life, whether we are heading towards eternity with Him. Speak to Him, call out His name – He will guide us and bring us safely out of our deepest, darkest nights into His light and His presence! Amen!
Have a good weekend, everyone! May we all bask in the glory of His presence as we worship Him this Sunday!
Ronnie's Thoughts 