Our ingenious Creator has made a veritable profusion of birds to inhabit the earth. They come in an assortment of sizes and colors with varied diets and habitats to match. The soaring eagle, the lazing hawk, the slashing falcon bring our admiration. The robin, the cardinal, the blue jay and the gold finch flash their colors. We delight in finches, the wren, the blue bird, the woodpecker and the hummingbird. Pelicans, sandpipers, gulls and others populate the ocean shores. Geese and ducks of all kinds abound in the wetlands. We marvel at (and shy away from) vultures and crows. The red-winged blackbird, the indigo bunting, the oriole, the starling, the dove ... the list goes on and on. Then there is the sparrow.
Nothing out of the ordinary here. Nothing flashy - brown, tan gray, white. No special call nor melodious song. Small, numerous and found nearly everywhere. They hardly draw the notice of the astute birder. When we see one, our response is something like, “Oh, it’s just a sparrow.” And what matter when one is killed? They are certainly not an endangered species.
Strangely enough, Jesus spoke of the lowly sparrow noting that two were sold for a “cent” (copper coin; assarion; worth about 1/16 of a day’s wage). Yet, not a one of them would fall to the ground without our heavenly Father noticing. Among all of the other glorious creatures He made and amid all of the hubbub of humanity on the earth, the lowly sparrow is not overlooked by its Maker.
Jesus continues: “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” How often do we fret about what life will bring? How many times have we wondered if God sees the difficult circumstances in my life? Recognizes all my enemies? Knows my fears and concerns? Understands my heartache? The question is often: “God, are you there?” Well, fear not! Go, look out your window or stand on your porch. Watch a sparrow. Remember, God is watching it, too - just as He is watching over you. Jesus said so!