God Cares For You!

A few days ago, I was sitting in the backyard and I saw some birds at play. They were flying back and forth, chirping and having a good time. The issues in our world didn’t bother them or make them sad. They flew from place to place, pecking here and pecking there. Then one bird called out and the others followed and they were gone. As I sat there I was reminded about the scripture about birds in Matthew 6:26. It says, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”

Imagine, every person on earth at some time or another have to engage in the process of planting, harvesting and storing in barns. You might say I don’t have a garden to plant. But your place of employment is your modern garden. Your paycheck is your harvest and the vehicle where you save your money is your barn. And in the absence of these things, the birds live and thrive because God takes care of them.

As I thought about the birds I began to think about the issues facing humanity in 2020. The pandemic has people everywhere anxious. While most are grateful to be alive because they were either untouched by or recovered from the virus; there is anxiety and uncertainty about tomorrow. The economic impact of the pandemic has touched many in different ways. Some lost jobs, others lost their businesses. There were those who faced the challenge of providing food for their families, altogether, not a pleasant situation. Yet those sparrows in the backyard, were unconcerned. Jesus said in Luke 12:6, “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.”

The value of two copper coins was one cent. In other words one sparrow had the value of one fifth of a cent. They don’t have much value to anyone but God, He does not forget not one of them. That same God to whom a sparrow is valuable is watching over you. Verse 7 goes on to say, “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” So you have value to God.

Sometimes there is a tendency to look at all the negative things and use those things to evaluate your life. You can recount how many people you know who died during the pandemic but the fact that you can read this today says that God has been gracious to you. It may be that you had to get help to feed your family but they are all with you today. It could be that the neighbor next door had a family member who did not survive the pandemic, but your family did. So God is watching over you.

David understood this. In Psalm 34:10 he said, “Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” It’s unbelievable to think of a strong lion going hungry! However, if you trust in God, you will be better than a strong lion because you will not lack any good thing. Before you jump up and down, remember you have to trust God first. Trust is not dependent on the stock market or the unemployment figures. When you trust God your eyes are on Him and not on the circumstances around you.

So even in the midst of the pandemic and the social unrest of 2020, you can stand strong. The God who created the universe and cares for the sparrow, cares for you.