"The voice of the Lord is upon the waters... the Lord is upon many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty." Psa. 29:3,4.
From March through July each year unusually high tides reach Southern California beaches, at which time one of the wonders of the ocean takes place. In the third or fourth night of the full moon, whenever these extreme tides are due, swarms of grunion (a small edible fish) swim into the surf and allow themselves to be washed ashore on a sandy beach-but not until the highest wave of the incoming tide has past. Ashore on the bare sand, by the light of the moon, the female scoops out a shallow hole with her tail, where she lays hundreds of eggs, followed by the male who fertilizes them. Within thirty seconds, with a final switch of the tail to cover the eggs, all has been accomplished and both male and female wriggle down the beach, to be picked up and swept into the ocean by the next wave.
But how about the eggs? How will they ever hatch in such a peculiar nest? The grunion have been well directed by their Creator in what they have done, for no wave will reach the eggs until the next extreme tide two weeks later. This amount of time in the warm, moist sand provides ample incubation and when a high wave finally reaches them, the eggs pop open and the little fish are washed into the sea to start their busy lives.
This annual event is so reliable that the hour and minute can be foretold and thousands of people flock to the beaches to witness it, some of them catching the fish in their hands.
Is there an alarm clock that tells the grunion just the precise moment to ride in on the biggest wave? And how does it know where the sandy beaches are? If it mistakenly went to a rocky one it would be pounded to pieces. Surely its instructions come only from its Creator and there is no possibility that it will ever think of changing this pattern. How carefully God watches over all His creatures-all of which blend together to show a divine scheme and pattern.
After sin came into the world all things were affected so that today we do not see them in perfection, but we do see something of His might and wisdom even in lowly creatures like the grunion. A time is coming when all will be made right again: "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth." Isa. 65:17. But before that takes place there must be God's judgment on this sinful world and all in it who have not had their sins forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ, "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity." Titus 2:14. How important it is to listen to the warning: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not." Eccl. 12:1.