God speaks to us in many different ways, but we must be sensitive to his voice and learn to listen. I once discovered a turtle on a fence post. I don’t know how it got there, but it did get my attention. If some people get a message in a bottle, maybe God had a message for me in that turtle on the fence post. I recently went to a local drug store and saw a colorful display of miniature bobble-head turtles made out of small gourds. God seemed to give me a personal word from those turtles. What can turtles teach us?

First – PUT YOUR NECK OUT. For a turtle to go anywhere it must stick its neck out. Anyone who accomplished anything in life must be willing to take a risk and stick out his or her neck. To take a risk many times requires us to leave our comfort zone.

God blessed the patriarch Abraham because he was willing to leave his homeland when God asked him to and take a risk. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a strange country dwelling in teNts” (Hebrews 11:8-9 KJV).

Because Abraham risked everything to obey God, he was greatly blessed of God and became the father of a great nation. Trust God and be willing to follow where He leads.

God’s Word tells us this about Abraham, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20-21). I once came across this advice, “Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light.” Believe God and stick your neck out. Take a risk!

Second – PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE WILL WIN THE RACE. Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? In the race the rabbit thought that he was so much faster than the tortoise that he could not possibly lose. The hare therefore decided to take a nap. The Tortoise was slow, but he patiently and perseveringly plodded toward the finish line. When the rabbit awoke from his nap he realized the tortoise had passed him and was crossing the finish line.

True winners are characterized by patience and perseverance. (See Hebrews 12:1-3.) A turtle doesn’t give up. It keeps on keeping on. “That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

Third – PEACEMAKERS ARE BLESSED OF GOD. Most turtles are not ferocious. A snapping turtle can take a bite out of you if provoked, but most species of turtles are gentle. Jesus taught in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. . . Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:3-12). Meekness is “power under control”. Some turtles are gentle giants. God wants all to live a “quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”. (See I Timothy 2:1-5.) When we lived in North Dakota we visited the beautiful Peace Gardens in the Turtle Mountains near the Canadian border. Jesus taught us that it is in the Garden of Prayer that we can receive peace and power over temptation. (See Matthew 26:41.)

Most turtles have a hard shell for protection. Believers in Christ are given the whole armor of God to stand against the adversary. “Stand, therefore, having your loins girt with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:10-18). When you put Jesus on by faith, you receive his “hard shell” of protection and righteousness.

Fourth – A POSITIVE FAITH ATTITUDE WINS THE DAY. That bobble head turtle that now sits on my desk reminds me that God is a “Yes” God. When I see its head bobbing up and down, I remember I Corinthians 1:20, “For all the promises of God in Him are yea and in Him amen.” Our attitude should be “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

Fifth – PLACED ON THE ROCK THERE IS SECURITY. As a child I had a pet turtle. It loved to swim, but periodically it would come to rest on a rock placed inside the fish bow. When we receive Christ by faith as Savior and Lord of our lives, we have a solid rock – all else is sinking sand. “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone. . . he that believeth on him shall not be confounded” (I Peter 2:4-7). (See I Corinthians 10:4.)

Christ the Rock will give you eternal life and true security. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT).

Yes, we can be taught by a turtle.