His Eye Is on the Sparrow

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." - Matthew 10:29

I awoke today to the sweet sound of sparrows greeting the day. Their song begins with a few chip notes followed by trills and buzzes. I don't know much about birds, but I have noticed that sparrows are quite at ease around people and don't mind building a nest on any hole in houses, rain gutters, or tree branches. I have seen them bathing cheerfully in street puddles and dust-bathing on the ground, ruffling their feathers and flicking water or dust over themselves. I would like to imagine that sparrows are always happy and carefree, but the psalmist paints a different picture.

On Psalm 102 it says "I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop." And that is just one distressing phrase in the first half of the chapter. It's evident that the writer is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord saying "let my cry come to You! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my trouble. Incline your ear to me; in the day that I call, answer me speedily." Have you cried to the Lord like that? I have, although my life experiences are much different than the psalmist's. However, I can relate to the pain, sorrow, and fear.

One of my most painful experiences happened when our three-month baby girl was taken to the hospital. She had difficulty breathing and was immediately hooked with respirator tubes. For three days we couldn't hold her in our arms, all we could do was stay close to her crib and suffer at her side. When a nurse came to take a sample out of her nose, our baby cried in pain. Unfortunately, it did not turn out good, so they had to do the procedure a second time. We cried out to God in pain and fear. Similarly, the writer of this psalm was suffering in many aspects. He used vivid imagery to describe how certain problems had seriously affected many areas of his life.

He wrote "for my days are consumed like smoke and my bones are burned like a hearth." It seems to me that he felt as if he had accomplished nothing. Probably he thought his life had been a waste of time. We all can relate to that feeling when we are depressed. We may feel useless, lazy, and unproductive.

"My heart is stricken and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread." He was broken and felt as if his happiness had vanished and died like grass when it's cut. He had no desire to prolong the pain and didn't want to eat.

"Because of the sound of my groaning my bones cling to my skin." A life-changing disaster had happened, he was overwhelmed, and he could not get over quickly.

"I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert." The psalmist felt as if he had been deserted and nobody wanted to be with him.

"I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop." Sparrows are social creatures, they build their nests together, eat together, sing together and play with each other. Yet the writer mentions an anomaly, a lone sparrow, therefore amplifying his deep loneliness and sorrow.

"My enemies reproach me all day long; Those who deride me swear an oath against me."

He describes his feelings of helplessness after he's been the target of harassment and misinformation. He experienced social rejection. He was criticized, sleepless, and isolated.

"For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping." He was fed with the bread of adversity, and water of affliction.

"Because of Your indignation and Your wrath; for You have lifted me up and cast me away." Here the psalmist expresses the ultimate calamity, that of being rejected by God himself.

Finally, the writer compares his life to the sunset. "My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I wither away like grass." He desperately sensed that his life will end shortly because God has punished him by withdrawing His presence and favor. However, I'm glad the chapter doesn't end right here. So far, I empathize with the writer, but his heartbreaking words leave me feeling hopeless and miserable. Fortunately, he instead continues with a different outlook.

Now the psalmist drastically shifts his focus from earth to heaven, from his problems to God, and considers the eternal nature of God and the eternal outcome of God's redemptive plan. These new thoughts helped the psalmist cut through the darkness into the dawning of a new day.

After expressing his suffering, disappointments, and misery, he acknowledges that God is a being of mercy and compassion. The psalmist here, goes to the source of help. He realizes that even though his time on earth is very short, God is everlasting and trustworthy, and He will fulfill his promises. He recognizes that God encourages later generations through the help he gives his people today. He asserts that God will be vindicated at the end of time. He concludes that when God attends the needs of his children, they will praise and serve him.

That's why we praise and serve God. Our daughter is now a young adult, soon to leave our nest for college. We thank the Lord every day for healing her and sustaining her all these years.

We, like the psalmist, must rely upon God's Word. Although the earth wears out like an old garment, He who is above time and space will accomplish his redemptive plan. God hears our prayers, cares when we hurt, and will act on our behalf. We may be confident that we will not be neglected. When we consider our own sinful nature, our darkness and defects, we have substantial reasons to fear that our prayers will not be received in heaven. But we must remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.

Christ was like a lone sparrow on a housetop, spending entire nights with the Father in prayer. He was a lonely man, not understood by people around Him. He experienced all sorts of human suffering in order to fulfill God's purpose, therefore he understands what you are going through.

A short time before sending his disciples into the world, Jesus encouraged them with the words found in Matthew 10:29. He told them that if God takes notice of such ordinary things as sparrows and the number of hairs on your head, then how much more does he consider your life which is of such greater importance. In the same manner, Jesus assures you today that you are worth more than sparrows, so you can be confident of God's care and love for you. Regardless of the severity of life, and even in the midst of worldwide calamity, the final word for those faithful children of God is VICTORY!

1
Why should I feel discouraged,
why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
and long for heaven 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.

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.

2
"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.

3
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.

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.

Words by Civilla D. Martin