I’ve been bird watching lately. Well, more like sparrow watching. From my kitchen window I can check out sparrows feeding at the bird feeder that I have hanging in my yard. My husband teases me that I have a flock of sparrows out there sometimes! Some people are bothered by sparrows. They see them as pests, driving away the other prettier birds. But I enjoy watching them act up by the feeder, flitting and flying about.
Sparrows are not the most attractive birds. Their feathers do not stand out. They are kind of boring with their plain, neutral colored feathers. The Hebrew word for sparrow means a small bird and they certainly are not majestic in size or even the song they sing. They are very common. So common, in fact, they are largely overlooked by humans.
Every time I see them outside my window though, I am always reminded of the Bible verse, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one will fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV). How comforting that verse is to me. Sparrows, so plentiful in nature, so common they go unnoticed by most people are important to the Father. He knows each sparrow, and trust me, there are a lot of sparrows around. As for me, well, to Him, I am even more valuable than the sparrows. So important, in fact, that the Lord knows EVERY hair on my head! My husband, my mother, even my stylist can’t make that claim!
As I watched the sparrows flick seeds out of my bird feeder to their buddies on the ground, I started wonder, why sparrows? Why did Jesus specify them in Matt. 10:29 and not a blue jay or woodpecker? There had to have been a reason. So I decided to do a little research the sparrow. (Ok, I confess, it was more of a Google search, lol!) I felt like there was something to be learned from them.
I found out that sparrows are wise. They are mentioned in Psalm 84:3, “Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young-- a place near your altar, LORD Almighty, my King and my God.” (NIV) From this verse we know that sparrows were not driven away from the nests they built in the Temple. What smart birds! I don’t know about you but I want to make my home in the Lord’s dwelling place. I can think of no better place to raise a family!
I discovered that sparrows have powerful beaks as well. From chirping to breaking open seeds, their beak contains power. How true that is for us humans too. We have power in our mouths, our tongues, the words we speak. Our mouths have power to sing a song of worship or break open a heart.
Then my search came across the lyrics to a beautiful old hymn, “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. These words stuck out to me…
“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me
It is so easy to allow the troubles and stresses in our lives to overwhelm us. But when we remember His awesomeness, His faithfulness, His promises to give us a hope and a future; we can rest in how good our God is! Even when we can’t see but more than one step in front of us, He is with us. He is leading us with His rod and staff just as a Good Shepherd should.
In all of that, we can rejoice and be at peace. We can sing because Jesus has set us free! We are free from worry, free from striving, free to be all He has created us to be! His eye is on the sparrow, yes. But even more precious than that is that His eye is on me too. He is smiling over me, delighting in me!
The next time you glance outside and see a sparrow, think of these words and remember the lessons of the sparrow – His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me!
Post by: Marcy Gates
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