More Valuable than Sparrows
Lessons from Scripture
If there is one thing that the prairies of eastern Wyoming lack, it’s trees. You might see a few cottonwoods standing tall next to a creek or spring, or possibly some pine and cedar trees adorning the top of a rocky hill, but nothing inviting enough for a robin or blue jay to build a nest. Instead, our bird population consists mostly of meadowlarks and nighthawks that lay their eggs unceremoniously on the ground. I am forever baffled by the fact that there are any of these birds that hatch and survive to adulthood. These eggs are exposed to every danger: the elements, getting stepped on, eaten by hungry predators. Every time I see unharmed eggs I’m reminded of two passages from scripture.
 Matthew 10:29-30 (CSB) Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent.  But even the hairs of your head have all been counted.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Matthew 6:25-26 (CSB)  “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?
In the first passage Jesus is sending out His disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God. He tells the disciples that they will surely be persecuted for spreading the message of the Kingdom, but then he exhorts them not to fear their persecutors. If God cares so much for the sparrows that not one of them falls without God knowing about it, how much more does He care about us? And if He cares about us that much, then what reason do we have to be afraid of earthly things?
Matthew chapter 6 highlights Jesus’s teaching on prayer and connects it with teachings on fasting, possessions, and worry and anxiety. Jesus invites us into a prayer relationship that drives out anxiety by bringing God’s care and provision into focus. God takes care of the daily lives of the birds, providing them with food that they didn't plant, harvest, or put into storage. If God cares about the birds that much, then why should we worry about our daily needs?
I love seeing these eggs laid on the ground because it makes these teachings so real to me. God cares about the birds so much that He keeps these unsheltered eggs safe so that they can hatch and keep the nighthawk population steady. If God cares about the nighthawks and the meadowlarks that much, then how much more does He care for me?
Heavenly Father, I praise you for your care and your watchful eye over all creation. I praise you for care for me, so I have no reason to worry or be afraid. Your love and provision have no end. Amen