EXPLOSIVE POWER
Bible Study / Daily Devotional
Daily Devotions
Average reading time is about 5 and a half minutes
AN AMAZING FACT: There are over 300,000 different species of beetles in the world, but among them the bombardier beetle has been created with one of the most incredible defense systems in the natural world. Whenever threatened by an enemy attack from ants, frogs, or spiders, this spirited little beetle shoots a jet of boiling chemicals and irritating, foul-smelling gases at its attacker. This toxic spray explodes from two tail pipes on the tip of its abdomen, right into the face of the unfortunate aggressor.


With some bombardier beetles you can actually hear the explosion as a loud popping, which is a result of rapid firing. This rapid-fire action is called “pulse combustion” and jets the boiling liquid out at over 500 pulses per second and 212 degrees Fahrenheit! In addition, the beetle can rotate the end of its abdomen 270 degrees in any direction like a tiny cannon and hit the target with extreme accuracy.

Scientists and chemists have studied the bombardier beetle and learned that he makes his explosive by mixing together two very volatile chemicals—hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide. In addition to these two chemicals, this clever little beetle adds another type of chemical known as an inhibitor. The inhibitor enables the beetle to store the chemicals indefinitely without blowing itself up. Whenever our beetle friend is approached by a predator, he squirts the stored chemicals into the two combustion tubes and, at the same moment, he adds another chemical—an anti-inhibitor. This knocks out the inhibitor, and a violent explosion occurs, scorching the poor attacker. But somehow the beetle is not bothered by the heat and irritation that comes from its own spray.

It is preposterous to believe that such a marvelous and complex mechanism could have evolved piecemeal over millions of years. This would require thousands of generations of these little beetles blowing themselves to pieces until finally they mastered their explosive gift.

Did you know those who mix prayer and Bible study can expect explosive power? The Bible says, “For the word of God is living and powerful …” (Hebrews 4:12). And the Lord promises those who love Him, “He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him” (Psalm 91:15). Wouldn’t you like to be answered by the God of the universe, and experience the power of His Word in your life today?
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 2 Corinthians 6:7

RECORD-BREAKING BUGS
Bible Study / Daily Devotional
Daily Devotions
Average reading time is about 5 minutes
AN AMAZING FACT: The record for the fastest flying insect is that of a male horsefly. Horseflies mate in a surprising way—the male catches the female midair and they both drop to the ground while mating. One entomologist reports that he was able to get a male horsefly to chase a plastic pellet from his air rifle. Amazingly, the fly caught and dropped to the ground with the pellet, which was going at least 90 miles an hour!

Another notable insect is the small, dull-colored moth called the dark sword-grass or black cutworm moth. With a wingspan of just five centimeters, this moth usually has airspeeds of five to eight mph, but when riding the winds of a cold front it has been known to sustain ground speeds of up to 70 mph.

The fastest moving land insects are Australian tiger beetles. These beetles, named after tigers because of their impressive jaws and hunting style, are incredibly fast relative to their body size. One species of this beetle, the Cicindela hudsoni, has the fastest absolute speed for a land insect—a whopping 5.57 mph, or 120 body lengths per second. In human terms, that would be nearly 520 mph—or the cruising speed of a jet! But another species of Australian tiger beetle, the Cicindela eburneola, has the fastest relative land speed—these beetles can move 171 body lengths per second, or 4.16 mph. This would be equivalent to a 6-foot-tall human running nearly 720 mph. In other words, a human running the corresponding speed of these beetles would almost break the sound barrier!

While these record-breaking bugs are certainly speedy, God really holds the speed record. In the Psalms, David often prayed for God to answer him “speedily”—sometimes because he was in danger, but also when he wanted God’s “tender mercies” for his “former iniquities” (Psalm 79:8). When it comes to forgiving a repentant sinner, we can be sure that the following promise holds true: “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Psalms 143:7

GARDEN GUARDIANS
Bible Study / Daily Devotional
Daily Devotions
Average reading time is about 5 and a half minutes
AN AMAZING FACT: Ladybugs are one of the most valuable natural forms of pest control on Earth. Farmers of the Middle Ages believed that the ladybug could work miracles for their crops, so they named the little beetle “Our Lady” or the “Bug of Our Lady,” after the Virgin Mary. Other names for the ladybug include ladybird, lady beetle, and lady fly, but over time this was shortened to the simple modern name, ladybug. (Naturally, not all ladybugs are ladies; there are boy ladybugs too.)

There are more than 4,000 different kinds of ladybugs in the world; 300 varieties live in North America. Besides the familiar red with black spots coloration, they also come in pink, white, brown, metallic blue, and yellow, and one beautiful species is black with red spots—exactly the opposite coloration of the common type.

These hardy little beetles beat their wings 85 times a second when flying and can live for weeks without eating, and when insects are scarce they can switch from eating insects to eating pollen. Another reason ladybugs survive so well is their ability to emit a foul-smelling and bitter-tasting chemical from their leg sockets when attacked by a predator. So birds generally avoid them. A female ladybug can lay up to 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. In winter, ladybugs gather in huge groups to hibernate under sticks, bark, and even rocks. In California, 750 million ladybugs were discovered hibernating together in one group.

Ladybugs have even ventured into space. In 1999, four ladybugs were sent into space as part of an experiment on NASA’s space shuttle. Upon completion of the mission, it was determined that the ladybugs survived very well in space and even ate aphids while in zero gravity.

Because of ladybugs’ efficiency in the garden, farmers praise them for healthy crops. They are the good bugs that fight the bad bugs, eating billions and billions of aphids, scale insects, and mealy bugs every year. Gardeners even buy boxes of ladybugs to protect their gardens from pests.

Did you know the Bible teaches that God will send angels to protect those who trust in Him? Psalm 91 says, “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (verse 11). These heavenly guardians are sent by God to watch over and encourage us continuously.
KEY BIBLE TEXTS
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Psalms 34:7