A Sparrow's Worth

"What I tell you now in the gloom, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, proclaim from the housetops!

"Don't be afraid of those who can kill only your bodies - but can't touch your souls! Fear only God who can destroy both soul and body in hell! Not one sparrow (What do they cost? Two for a penny?) can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't worry! You are more valuable to him than many sparrows." Matthew 10: 27-31 (TLB)

As Keren Dibbens-Wyatt, from England, sat in the garden one summer day watching the birds flit back and forth through a hedge, she remembered this verse. It speaks of how precious we must be, if even sparrows are looked after by God. Keren challenged herself to watch just one sparrow for five minutes.

It was impossible! Not only could she not keep track of the small bird because of how fast it zoomed in and out, back and forth, but they all looked the same to her. Except for the black bib marking on the males, there was nothing to tell any of them apart.

But God knows exactly which sparrow is which; God even has each one of their feathers numbered, just as God knows the numbers of hairs on our heads. If God watches over every swoop of a sparrow, then the awareness and attention God pays to each of us must be far beyond our understanding.

We can trust our heavenly Father not only with the big things in our lives but the very smallest details too. God is able to see and care about our every tiny worry. Anything that ruffles our feathers, no matter how insignificant the world may claim it to be, matters to God. We can bring any and all of our cares safely to God in prayer.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you that nothing is beyond your notice. Watch over us and our loved ones just as you do each tiny bird, in Jesus' name. Amen.