Daily Devotional – May 15

Biology

Earthworms help plants by plowing, aerating, and fertilizing the soil. Earthworms dig burrows that help channel water and air throughout the soil. They drag plant matter (such as old leaves and grass) down into their burrows, which they eat along with huge amounts of soil. It has been estimated that 90% of the fallen leaves in an orchard are ultimately dragged underground by earthworms! The food is then digested, and the remains “cast” onto the surface of the ground in small balls. These worm castings are high in nitrogen that is vital for plant growth. An acre of land can contain as many as three million earthworms aerating and fertilizing the soil! Our home sits on a 3 acre lot. That means there are more worms on our little plot of land than the population of New York City (estimated at 8.4 million people).

It has been estimated that every 300 - 400 years, every particle of soil on the top 16 inches of the earth’s surface has passed through an earthworm’s gut! How does evolution explain these tireless tillers? Did some earthworm just decide to start eating dirt one day in order to recycle plant material with tons of dirt and thereby provide nitrogen needed for plants? Hardly. God, the Grand Designer, knew that for us to exist on earth, we needed plants. So, God created these little creatures to plow, aerate, and fertilize the soil.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good:  because his mercy endureth forever.

~ Psalm 118:1

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.