Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
I think 2020 has been one of the most tumultuous, discouraging, and difficult years our country has ever gone through, at least it has been for me, a baby boomer. Although I would say, 1968 held this dubious honor for many years, when there were riots in many large cities over the Vietnam war and college violence on campuses, initiated by groups like the SDS (Students for Democratic Society). There were a couple of terrible assassinations too during this year, that of Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. I grew up in the same community as Sirhan Sirhan who killed Kennedy. I believe he visited my church a few times; we should have reached out to him in a better way. There was also a significant racial divide in the country, which sparked factions like the Black Panthers. Years later, through a random circumstance, I had dinner with Eldridge Cleaver, one of its leaders. During our conversation, he shared how Christ had come into and changed his life.
Yet, this year with its unrelenting pandemic, violent demonstrations in our big cities, political hatreds and battles between our leaders, new levels of unemployment and evictions, record wildfires in the west, numerous hurricanes and floods in the south, and weather changes in the East; may surpass 1968 in respect to the anxiety and apprehension we all feel right now. I think we would all agree that wearing masks, separating ourselves from others, especially those we love, and giving up so much of what we used to do has made our lives awfully hard.
But let me give you some encouragement, which comes from a song my wife and I have always turned to when times get tough. It is a hymn we heard at church when we were first married. Its words were soothing to our souls back then and still are today as we struggle through this year like everyone else.
The song is His eye is On the Sparrow and was written by Civilla Martin back in 1904. She wrote it after visiting a friend who was bedridden and in bad shape. She asked her friend if she was discouraged by what she was going through. To Civilla’s surprise, her friend wasn’t at all, for she knew that the same God who keeps tabs on even the sparrows would certainly keep watch over her. When Civilla got home, she wrote the song His Eye Is On the Sparrow.
Here are the words that will hopefully bring you the peace you need, especially during this challenging year, which is not over yet.
Lyrics
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heav’n and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches 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.
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
Refrain
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.
Final Thought
God is always watching over you, and He knows your circumstance; He will never leave your side, especially in a year like this one, for you are incredibly greater than a sparrow to Him.