Old MacDonald Has a Shell

Genesis 4:2b
“And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.”

Until recently, it was thought that, excluding mankind, only a few insects, beetles, ants and termites actually farmed crops for their food supply. Then an amazing snail was found.

The snail lives on the leaves of plants growing in East Coast salt marshes. This amazing snail cuts long gashes down the leaves of cord-grass. It doesn’t eat the cord-grass. Rather, it waits. Before long, a fungus begins to grow on the gash, aided by the snail’s own droppings. Moreover, without the fungus, the snails do not thrive, hardly even grow, and almost half of their young die. However, when the fungus is available, they thrive and grow, losing almost none of their young.

Now the question must be asked: How could this arrangement evolve? How did these snails exist before they discovered that they needed this fungus? How did they learn to grow the fungus? If they evolved from snails that didn’t need the fungus, how did they discover that they all-of-a-sudden needed the fungus? The most straightforward answer is that the same Creator Who taught us to farm also taught these snails to farm when He made them and the fungus they need to survive. He knows all of our needs before we do and provides what we need, including the forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Prayer:
Father, thank You for the productivity of the earth. I pray that You would continue to provide for our needs. Amen.

Notes:
Science News, 12/6: 2003, p. 358, S. Milius, “New Farmers.” Photo: Salt marsh in Connecticut, US. Courtesy of Alex756. (CC-BY-SA 3.0)