He is Mindful of You

When I [David] consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

 Psalm 8:3,4

Female carpenter bees bore holes the size of a small finger into wood every spring.

These bees are often mistaken for bumblebees and are capable of drilling about one inch every 5-6 days and in the end, their tunnels can be up to several feet long with several egg chambers. They are about one inch long, do not have teeth, but they have mandibles like teeth that cut and tear through wood in circular patterns to perfectly fit their bodies. 

I’ve observed these super-hero bees on my back-porch posts in East Texas each year when warm weather arrives. I was confused the first time I noticed a pile of sawdust on the concrete slab next to one of the posts. Instinctively, my eyes tracked up the post until I spotted a hole. What made that perfect hole?  I pondered in amazement as a carpenter bee emerged and temporarily flew away. 

This creature was born to bore, and our God cared to make it even if no one noticed it. I finished marveling and sprayed around the posts. These novel bees would need to make new homes elsewhere!

At times I’m tempted to doubt that the same Creator fashioned me with purpose, and ask along with King David in Psalm 8, “Who is man that You are mindful of him and that You care for him?” 

Current estimates claim upward of 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe, each typically with 100 billion stars. God determines the number and gives them their names (Psalm 147:4). They are the work of His fingers, and yet…

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore, he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait [long] for him (Isaiah 30:18)!

Karen Sims