Welcome Back!
In my last blog, I introduced the question of:
Who does God say we are?
A great question to ask if you’re trying to figure out your identity. In today’s blog post, we’re going to start answering that question.
For The Birds
Now that it’s March, I’ve started seeing and hearing a lot more birds. Mourning doves, sparrows, finches, starlings… the list goes on.
They’re busy building nests, finding mates, or food. Seeing them flying and hopping around, it reminds of the verse about sparrows in Luke:
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
That verse has always comforted me in the past, but now that I’m living on my own and have to think about things like paying rent and bills, I’m even more grateful God placed encouraging verses like this in the bible.
Forgotten
Do you ever feel forgotten?
Maybe you’re going through a rough time, and no one seems to notice, or care. Maybe there’s something you really need, or you’re just trying to make it through the rest of the week.
Well, according to the verse above, God cares about sparrows. Those tiny little birds that you probably see when you look out your window.
In the days of the New Testament, sparrows weren’t worth much. By today’s standards, you can’t buy much of anything with pennies. But since you could’ve bought five sparrows for only two pennies back in Jesus’s time, that means that sparrows were basically worthless.
Valuable?
And yet, God never forgets a sparrow.
Because to God, sparrows are of great value.
While humans labeled sparrows as only being worth pennies, God labeled them as being worth his care.
The verse says that we are of more value than many sparrows– not the value assigned by people, but by God’s standard.
Since God finds us valuable, not only will he not forget about us, but he’ll provide for us.
He Provides
Here’s another verse about that:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Birds, Birds, Everywhere
I find it interesting that both of these times when Jesus is telling us that God will provide for us, he uses birds like sparrows as his example.
Birds are everywhere, from the Sahara desert, to Antarctica. From the quiet countryside, to the busy cities.
No matter where you go, there will be birds. And when you see birds, you can think back on God’s promise to provide.
What We Need
The world we live in right now is a mess.
With so many terrible things happening, it’s hard not to freak out.
But when doubt and anxiety try to overwhelm you, just remember that God knows what you need.
He hasn’t forgotten you. He sees you, and he will provide for you if you ask for his help.
A Valuable Lesson
So, today we learned that God says we are valuable.
In my next blog post we’ll learn more about who God says we are.
Before You Go…
I’m curious… what is your favorite type of bird?
Let me know in the comments down below!
Did you know that sparrows are actually good swimmers?
Ahh, yes! I adore this time of year when I get to see the birds, and they remind me of how loved I am. My favorite bird is the swan. There are all kinds of them. They were my first reminder to look to the birds. Thanks for sharing!😊