It’s very hard to choose a favourite animal. It depends on the context. For pets, I liked both cats and dogs as a child. If I’m visiting a zoo, perhaps lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, hippos, orangutans and giraffes are the most memorable. But the more I think about it, the more difficult it is to decide.
Maybe, I’d be most pleased to see pandas – simply because they’re so rare and so cute. I did see a couple in London Zoo once. And growing up, my little sister had a panda teddy bear at home. They’re so lovable.
I think that most people love most animals. The very beginning of the Bible speaks about man naming the animals. And, when I had kids, all of them were fascinated by animals.
Here’s a list of some songs about animals:
- Free as a Bird – The Beatles
- Blackbird – The Beatles
- Octopus’s Garden – The Beatles
- I Am the Walrus – The Beatles
- Karma Chameleon – Culture Club
- Crocodile Rock – Elton John
- Bat Out of Hell – Meat Loaf
- The Lion Sleeps Tonight – The Tokens
- Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
- Wild Horses – The Rolling Stones
And, if I watch nature documentaries, I love to learn about fish (if I can classify these as animals).
One of my favourite series was The Blue Planet. It might have been the first DVD that our family watched back in 2001. I particularly liked the deep sea fish. Some are quite ugly, but I just need to look at them. No-one’s asking me to marry them.
One episode that I disliked was where the killer whales killed a baby whale. That’s the thing with the animal world – lots of cuteness, but lots of sadness too. I remember watching a documentary where a mother polar bear was trying to find food for her hungry baby. They were looking for seals. I couldn’t make up my mind whose side I was on 😀.
I look forward to the new heaven and new earth that the Bible speaks of. Then, everything will be as it should be.
Isaiah 11:6–8
The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den,
and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
The verse brings to mind a song that we used to sing when I lived in London, in Bermondsey Christian Fellowship. It’s a beautiful picture – the wolf shall dwell with the lamb – or is it the lion? Well, we know what it means either way 😀.
Revelation 21:3-4
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Speculating about the future raises all sorts of puzzles and debates. Some take such prophecies more literally than others. But I’m happy to trust God. He knows what he’s doing, and whatever about the specifics, the Bible teaches that we live in a broken world that isn’t going to remain broken forever:
Romans 8:18-21
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Today’s prompt encourages me to start watching animal videos on YouTube. In fact, I’ve even watched a few 3D 8k videos on my Meta Oculus where you can get very close to animals in zoos or in the wild.
I wonder are there any hymns about animals? Some use animals as metaphors. Jesus is described as both a lion and a lamb. A lion speaks of power and victory, the lamb of sacrifice.
I’m trying to keep my posts short, but you could ask Microsoft Copilot the following questions:
List 10 verses that speak of the lamb of God.
List 10 verses that speak of Jesus as a lion.
And if any verses puzzle you, you can ask Copilot what they mean. Lot’s of people say that you shouldn’t trust Copilot, but I think it’s fine. I mightn’t always agree with it, but I don’t always agree with real people either 😀. I sometimes wonder if it knows me well enough to give me answers that I’ll agree with. What if Hitler used Copilot? Would the answers be different?
And we have that lovely verse which emphasizes that God cares for the sparrows.
Hibernia Gospel 