Daily Devotional – September 4

Design

If you listen closely, you will realize that birds are extremely skillful musicians. When birds sing, you can hear melody, harmony, and rhythm. Many birds sing in “absolute pitch”, that is, if they sing a song in G major today, the same song will be sung in EXACTLY the G major pitch all other days. There is also evidence that birds can transpose songs from one key to another. Male blackbirds have been observed to sing in matched counter-singing, i.e. each blackbird takes turns singing a tune back to other birds. Some birds even sing a variation on a theme. When human musicians attempt a matching counter-singing, it requires planning, talent, practice, and design.

Some birds sing duets; the African robin performs its duet antiphonally (where 2 birds sing alternate notes in a song). To execute this type of duet requires split second timing! When you hear a bird singing, notice that the songs contain consonsant intervals, which produce a pleasant sound, rather than dissonant intervals. Hermit thrushes have been found to sing the pentatonic scales. Other birds can sing two notes at the same time because of the position of their voice boxes.

Both Mozart and Beethoven recognized birds’ musical abilities and borrowed bird songs as inspiration for their music. Bird songs show evidence of structure and beauty. If evolution was true and songs evolved by accident or chance, then at least half the songs should be grating, irritating, and nonsensical. We do not hear that! The worldwide morning song of birds is known as the “Dawn Chorus” - welcoming in a new day. When we hear beautiful music, we know it has been composed and that there must be a composer. Bird songs are beautiful – take time to listen to what Jesus, the Greatest Composer of all, has composed for our pleasure.

Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD.

~ Psalm 150:6

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

References for this devotional.