What is your favorite animal? Since about August 2000 at the latest, the buffalo has been my favorite animal. I had been assigned to an Army unit in Germany. A large park lay between the kaserne where I lived and the kaserne where I worked. A walking trail covered almost all the distance between home and work once I entered the park. As I ran on the trail during the three years that I lived in Germany, I would pass an enclosure where European buffalo were grazing. Seeing them always gave me a sense of calm and peace. In 2017 and 2018, I saw American bison (popularly called buffalo) when my wife and visited first South Dakota, then in the next year Yellowstone Park in Wyoming. The pictures are from the trip to South Dakota.
I have to confess that I haven't often prayed about buffalo or any other animals. Perhaps my most common prayer has been for protection from dogs while jogging or when I was younger and was delivering newspapers to homes. However, as I thought about this post and read Psalm 104 as part of my preparation, praying for animals emerged as something I should do more. Such prayer is especially appropriate in regard to endangered animals, which bison/buffalo have been for over a century. The psalmist prays for animals as part of God's creation. He describes their dependence upon God and how they function in this world that he created. He writes,
"How many are your works, LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground" (Psalm 104:24-30).
The psalmist says that God was wise to make the animals. God provides for them. They are part of his plan for the renewal of the earth. My wife and I have watched several documentaries recently that described how hunting or fishing have caused the extinction or near extinction of several species of animals. When this happened, it has disrupted the ecosystem of which the animals were part and caused unintended consequences like rapid increase of animals on which they had preyed or plants that they had eaten, increases that sometimes had a negative influence on the environment. Systems function best when they operate as designed. That applies to God's creation, too, including human beings.
When we pray, let's pray for animals. And not just prayers of thanksgiving for the steaks on our plates. Let's thank God for the beauty, graceful movement, and balance that they bring to our world. I'm thankful for the majesty, strength, beauty, and habits of the buffalo. Their gradual resurgence gives me great joy. Let's pray that we humans interact with the other creatures in our world in ways that are mutually beneficial and that restore beauty to God's creation.
- Quotations are from the New International Version of the Bible. Photographs were taken by Morrisa Watson Summers.
God, we thank you for the beauty of your creation. We thank you for the animals that you have placed on this world with us. They bring balance to the world. They provide inspiration for us. Some species provide companionship, protect us, and comfort us. Others feed us. Thank you for the joy, sustenance, and even the fear that animals sometimes bring to our lives. The fear keeps us alert and alive. The joy makes our lives even more worth living and sustains our hope. We pray that you will give us the wisdom to act in ways that will make it possible for animals, plants, and even us to thrive. I pray in the name of Jesus, amen.
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