One of my favorite places to sit in the house is by my front window where I can watch the birds at my bird feeder. We have "Woody" the red bellied woodpecker, a few blue jays, cardinals, black birds, and a cute little bird that tried to get in our window this morning. He must have seen his reflection and kept coming back for another look. Of course, we have our complement of squirrels who simply love the bird feeder as well. I marvel at how beautiful the colors are on these creatures, and think about the Master Artist, our Lord, who created each one of them. This reminded me of some verses I recently read in Matthew 10:26-31.
In this section of Scripture, Jesus is encouraging His disciples and reminding them that they will face trials in this life. They are not to fear though because God is with them. There is nothing that man can do to snatch them from God's saving hand. He said to them: "So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." These are comforting words for all of us who follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't it good to know that God values us and knows us intimately?
So often, we tremble in fear over speaking up and sharing our faith with others. We worry we may say the wrong thing, be politically incorrect, or offend another person when we speak the truth as found in God's Word. I am certain that is what the disciples contended with as they proclaimed the good news of salvation to their Jewish brethren. Really, nothing has changed from that time to this, and the words of reassurance that Jesus shared with them are what we can count on as well. God is sovereign over all the affairs of men, and He is the only One we need to fear (that is respect and be in awe of). Man may reject what we say or in the extreme, do bodily harm to us, but God can send the soul to hell which is far worse.
Instead of living in fear, Jesus told us to look at the sparrows. While man values these birds at a low price, apart from God not one of these creatures falls to the ground. Furthermore, the Lord knows the number of hairs we have on our head! Now that is real involvement in our lives, and Jesus goes on to reassure the disciples (and us) that we are more valuable than many sparrows. When we consider things from this perspective, we have nothing to fear for our Lord is with us.
In my MacArthur Study Bible on these verses, it says: "Jesus was teaching that God providentially controls the timing and circumstances of such insignificant events as the death of a sparrow. Even the number of hairs on our heads is controlled by His sovereign will. In other words, divine providence governs even the smallest details and even the most mundane matters." This is why we do not need to live in fear of man or our circumstances. God is able to care for His creation far better than we can. Fear comes from the enemy of our souls.
With the election coming up, many are in fear of the outcome. What will happen in our nation? Others have worries and care for their personal situations. However, we must remember these words of comfort and truth which Jesus gave to us in His Word. We are more valuable than a sparrow. God knows what we need, and He is able to keep us until that time we go to be with Him. He, alone, is sovereign over all the affairs of men and He knows the plans He has for us (Jeremiah 29:11) and for our world. Therefore, rest in this today and repeat the Serenity Prayer when tempted to worry or fear:
" God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can; and
Wisdom to know the difference."
Selah!
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