The truly amazing Pelican

The sky is the domain of a great multitude of flying creatures that we call birds. One of the most remarkable birds is the Pelican. Found on every continent except Antarctica, there are eight living specimens. The smallest is the Brown Pelican with a wingspan of 2 to 2.3 metres (6ft 6in to 7ft 6in); whilst the largest is probably the Great White Pelican which has a wingspan of up to 3.6 metres (11ft 8in). Yet, relative to their size they are among the lightest of birds. On land they waddle but when they take off, they become airborne with only about five flaps of their wings. Flying majestically they are very clever at saving energy. As they pass over land they use ‘thermal updrafts’ to rise to over 4,200 metres (14,000ft). Then they glide for hundreds of metres/miles searching for suitable places to forage, breed or find another ‘thermal’. By this way the pelican can stay airborne for up to 24 hours. They have a fibrous layer deep in their breast muscles that holds the wings rigidly horizontal whilst they are aloft. A further means of travel is gliding along the crests of shallow waves in calm conditions, just above the surface, taking advantage of updrafts.

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All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

It is an amazing fact that the Lord Jesus in Matthew chapter 8 says that the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but that He had nowhere to lay His head! When we just pause and think about that it is almost unbelievable, yet we must believe it because it is true. The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son said it and we know that God cannot lie!

When we just begin to think about the statement it is amazing, the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the wealth of every mine was here and had no home. Yet it is more amazing that the Son of God was here for us! When He was here, He made an impact on so many lives, He healed and transformed people. 

One family that felt the transforming power of the Lord Jesus was a group of siblings in a poor village just outside Jerusalem called Bethany. Mary, Martha and Lazarus became followers of the Lord Jesus and He knew that their home was always open to Him. When He visited, He knew that there was always a meal, always a place to stay and that they would sit with Him and listen intently to his teaching. This was because they believed in Him, they knew that He was the Messiah, sent from God and that He had the power to forgive and through belief they knew that forgiveness of sin.