The Cicada

Summer nights get a symphony from the chirp of the cicada.

Cicadas spend more than a decade underground. During that time, they sip a certain type of sap that trees produce each spring. This is their kind of “spring elixir.”

Then every 13 or 17 years (depending on the species) they emerge.

They have an internal clock with which they keep time.

One ecologist commented:

“Seventeen years is just an inordinately long time to keep track of anything. I can’t keep track of five years, let alone 17, myself—so how an insect does it is remarkable.”

The insects keep time, the time that God set for them. They know the right time to appear.

James warned about those who foolishly believed they held time in their own hands. They made plans like there was a tomorrow. But we cannot rely on tomorrow. And then he adds:

“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” (James 5:7)

God has his purpose and his time, so wait for him. Obey until the moment of his coming. The crop comes in season and cannot be rushed.

So have at least the same wisdom as the cicada and wait for the Lord’s time.