His eye is on the sparrow
Jesus uses the sparrow in chapter 6, then he comes back to it in chapter 10.
Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 10:29; “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." The sparrow is a small and relatively defenseless bird. The point here is that God takes care of this little bird, how much more important to him are you? He will take care of you.
When I was a boy I remember singing a hymn, “His Eye is on the sparrow”. Do you know this one? There are many rich words is this hymn, listen to this line; “For His eye, it is on the little sparrow. And I know He's watching me.” God sees you and your situation, he is watching over you because he cares for you. Jesus asks you to let him carry your load. Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Are you weary? Is your heart burdened? Lean into Jesus today, trust him to keep watch over your life. Take-up the burden of his love, which is actually quite light. In this way you will find rest and peace for your soul.
One last thing from chapter 12. Lent is a season where we think about laying down a bad habit and picking up a good habit. Its important that we do both.
Matthew 12; 43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first."
Verse 43 is an example of Jesus helping us with a bad habit. In Hebrews 12 we are told to get rid of the sin that clings so closely. We all have habits and hang-ups that are self-destructive. Jesus helps us overcome those habits. The second part of that verse is the piece that helps us understand lasting transformation. If we don't replace a bad habit with a good habit we may find ourselves in a worse situation than before.
As you have reflected during this season of lent, has God spoken to you about laying aside a bad habit? If so, what will you do to fill in this void? These two things go together. Getting rid of bad habits actually creates room for good habits. May God bless you during this season. Draw close to him and he will draw close to you.
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