"The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season." Psa. 145:15.
Not many have heard of the pika. This little animal measures only a little over six inches long and weighs only about half a pound. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in energy. In North America it is found only among the rocks high in the mountains of western United States and Canada.
The outstanding thing about a pika is its busy activity in the summer months. It wisely prepares food for use in wintertime, when the snow will lie deep and it must stay in its den with its family. Unlike many mountain animals it does not hibernate, but does remain quite inactive during the cold season.
While cutting and gathering plants, flowers, berries, aspen leaves and other vegetation growing around its home, it is constantly in motion during the summer and fall. God has provided this cute little animal with four incisor teeth on the upper jaw to do all this work. A lot of food is necessary, because one little pika family will need about fifty pounds of dried food during the cold winter days while confined inside the den.
Everything it cuts or gathers is brought near the entrance of its cave. Like a farmer preparing his hay, it piles it in separate mounds in the sunshine to dry in the clear air of the mountains. When rain threatens, it carefully picks up these piles and carries them inside the cave, bringing them back out for further drying when the sun shines again. My, what a busy little fellow he is!
Where did it get this wisdom? And how does it know how to store the foodstuff underground so it will not mildew or rot away? This wisdom is given to it by God who, in creating everything "after its kind," has provided for its unique way of life. This is passed down from generation to generation, without the need of lessons or experiments. If it didn't know how to do this it would die the very first winter of its life. The divine Crator watches over everything He has made and provides for the needs of each one in His own wise way.
Living so far from civilization the pika is much like the coney spoken of in Prov. 30:26: "The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks." Eagles, hawks and many animals are enemies of this quiet little fellow, but when sheltered by the rocks, into which he hurries when they come close, he is perfectly safe.
When David was delivered from his enemies he said: "The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; the God of my rock; in Him will I trust." 2 Sam. 22:2,3. He is the only refuge from Satan, our dread enemy. Do you know Him as the Rock of your salvation?