His Eye Is On The Sparrow...

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
So, don't be afraid; you are worth more than sparrows."

Matthew 10:29-31

It was an early, summer Southern California morning, with the sun coming up over the mountain at the end of our street. Everything was quiet and still. All the windows were open, letting in the morning coolness. The heat of the day would soon settle in and the air conditioners would begin humming. This was the day the reports would be back from a biopsy taken on our Cocker Spaniel's ear. She was 13 years old and she had been a part of our family ever since she was a puppy. As I spent time with the Lord that morning, I prayed for our pet and asked God to touch this growth on her ear. Was it silly to pray for a pet? Would it matter to God? What was this growth on a pet's ear in light of eternity? As I pondered these thoughts, Matthew 10 came to mind, and I remembered that God cares for the sparrows and He knew when each sparrow fell to the ground. Yes, I could pray for a pet! Not only did God care for the sparrow and my dog, but He cared because it was a concern to me. Nothing was insignificant to the Lord, if it concerned me.

In the stillness of this morning, I heard whistling. I sat still and strained to hear. Who was up and out this early? As I listened, I recognized a familiar hymn. The whistling continued to get closer and closer. I walked to the screen door. As I stood listening, I saw an older man out for his morning walk and he was whistling, His Eye Is On The Sparrow. I knew instantly God had planned this moment just for me. My heart was over whelmed at the goodness of God. He wanted me to know that He had heard my prayer, and if it mattered to me, it mattered to Him. I didn't know what the outcome would be with our dog, but what I learned that morning would stick in my mind forever. Nothing was insignificant to the Lord, if it concerned me. He may not always answer in the way that I would desire, but I could come to Him with any need.

It was nine years later, and I was standing at my kitchen sink praying, asking the Lord what to do about the care of our Yellow Labrador Retriever. The Vet said a decision would have to be made. I turned from the sink to turn on the radio.....and once again, God wanted me to know that He had heard my tearful prayers. The song playing on the radio was, His Eye Is On The Sparrow. Oh, the goodness of God!

Don't we at times have difficulty asking God for the little things in our lives? Aren't there things in our daily lives that we could go to the Lord with, but we don't take the time to ask? Or maybe think that those things are too insignificant to ask God for?

"You do not have because you do not ask God" James 4:2

"The Lord will accomplish what concerns me." Psalm 138:8

Our Heavenly Father loves us more than the sparrows in the air. Won't you take the concerns of your heart to Him today and allow Him to meet those needs, no matter how insignificant they may seem? The chorus of this old familiar Hymn rings true in our hearts today.....

"I sing because I am happy, I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me."

The words of this hymn were written in 1905 by Cirvilla Durfee Martin. When visiting their friends Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle, DR. and Mrs. Martin asked Mrs. Doolittle how they kept such an attitude of cheerfulness and brightness despite their afflictions. Mrs. Doolittle who had been bed ridden for almost 20 years and Mr. Doolittle who was wheel chair bound replied, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me." Mrs. Martin said, "The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn, His Eye Is On The Sparrow, was the outcome of that experience."