What are we listening to, today?

I'm giving away the punch line today, by posting the picture above.

But I digress.
Let me begin my story at the beginning.
Recently, I was sitting on our screen porch, shortly after a thunderstorm had passed by. The roar of the downpour had stopped, and the silence was broken only by the random drips of water from the leaves in the woods. The trees surrounding that corner of the house were washed clean of pollen and dust, and the raindrops on the leaves were glistening in the sunshine as the sun broke through the clouds and began to warm things up.

Bambambambam!

A sharp sound broke the stillness.

Then again.
Bambambambam!

At first, I wasn't sure what was making the noise, for we don't see these large woodpeckers as often as their smaller cousins.
But there, on the side of a large, dead poplar, was a huge pileated woodpecker. These birds are as big as some of the large crows seen everywhere, but these woodpeckers are a little more shy. They whack away at dead trees, searching for their prey -- they love to gobble up carpenter ants. When we hike on our property, we can see where they have been, for they leave behind unusual rectangular holes in the wood they've explored.

They make pretty large nesting holes in trees, and they move around often, leaving one hole and settling in a new one. Their old nesting holes make great habitats for owls, some ducks, and even bats.

Bambambambam!
He was really working over that tree. Must be some carpenter ants in it, and he's on their trail.

As I was listening to him fiercely pecking on the tree, the Spirit nudged me and reminded me of God's wonderful design. How the ecosystems that we humans love to talk about so pompously are really his creative work. How He planned for all of these animals and environments to work together in harmony.
And how His plans for us, His children, are just as detailed, and just as wonderful.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, (Jeremiah 29:11-14a)

A lesson from a woodpecker.
What are you listening to, today?