Water Buffalo
I would not call myself an animal lover. I love dogs because I have two of them but it stops there. I prefer that other types of animals stay where they are, I'll stay where I am and we can lead our own separate lives. Nevertheless, I do like looking at them, animals fascinate me. They are truly a testament to the magnificence of God. Every time I have the occasion to really observe an animal, I think of how creative God is and, I wonder how in the world He comes up with so many different designs.
My husband and I used to take our daughter to the Lazy 5 Ranch. It is a drive-thru animal preserve where patrons can see alpacas, ostriches, giraffes, longhorns, water buffalo, and many other different types of animals. Our daughter was only three the last time we went so I am not sure she was able to appreciate the animals fully but Tensley enjoyed them enough for all of us, grinning ear to ear as an aggressive ostrich kept sticking its head in the car. At one point a gang of alpacas surrounded us and refused to let us through. After some serious maneuvering, we were finally able to escape, but not before the one I believe to have been their leader stuck his head in the car, sneezed on me, and snatched the feed bucket from Tensley.
Our freedom only lasted a short while before we realized that I had been driving in circles, twice passing what we thought was just a landing for lounging water buffalo. It turns out, that was the roadway out of the park. I do not know if you have ever seen a water buffalo but they are basically 1,000 pounds each. One of them was enough to block a narrow trail and there were about eight of them, sleeping, and a little baby one who was super cute but the size of a MINI Cooper. We were trapped! It was either go back the way we came and risk running into another vehicle or get comfortable with the view of oversized Angus beef until nap time was over. I pulled in front of the buffalo and put the car in park. It was just us and our tiny, mud-laced SUV against the world, the world of sleeping water buffalo. Were we in danger? Would we ever see the outside world again?
Then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “You know what would probably get them to move?” “What?” I asked. “Some more water buffalo,” He said. I was confused, how was I supposed to get more water buffalo? That was the problem, there were already too many water buf... “Oh, oh, okay Holy Spirit,” I said, finally understanding. “Very, very clever, though I would not expect anything less from You.” I picked up my phone which was already connected to the car speakers. I pulled up YouTube and searched water buffalo sounds. I pushed play and immediately thought, “This is a bad idea. What if they attack the car?” I hung my head; I could not even look. “Oh my goodness!” Tensley shouted, “It's working! That was brilliant!” I looked up and they were moving! It was unbelievable, these massive animals were waking up, slowly standing to their feet, moving away from us out of the roadway, like Jesus Himself was directing traffic. It was incredible! Hands down my favorite water buffalo experience ever!
I have heard people try to refute the story of Noah's Ark, questioning how he was able to get two of every animal on Earth into a boat. It fascinates me how someone could think that it would be a challenge for the Creator of the universe, the God who made everything to get animals to cooperate enough to travel to a particular area at a certain time. That concept actually sounds familiar, Migration is a pattern of behavior in which animals travel from one habitat to another in search of food, better conditions, or reproductive needs, and every major animal group participates in migration (national geographic). Would it have been beyond God Almighty to activate that instinct in the animals so all Noah had to do was hold the door open?
Animals reverence Him, they are sensitive to His will, His voice, and His direction. Nature shows evidence of God's divine providence while creation speaks a language of worship and praise. His command over creation is undeniable and truly fascinating. Noah gathered the animals into the Ark, two by two, seven by seven, not through his own skill but through a divine act of God (Gen. 7:1-3). Every animal, every tree, and every star in the sky submits to Him and we too have the opportunity to give Him thanks for all He has done, the God who tends to the needs of the universe and, at the same time, perfects the cares of our hearts. He is behind every good and perfect thing and, the bad, He still manages to work out to our good and His glory.
