More Than Sparrows

"Indeed the very hairs on your head are numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12:7

In Christ's day five sparrows were sold for two pennies. Their lack of worth or dollar value at the market would make them seem insignificant in human eyes, but not so in the sight of the Lord. God's Word says in reference to the sparrows in the preceeding verse (v. 6), that "not one of them was forgotten by God." He cares for them and provides for their every need.

It appears to be Jesus' purpose in this passage to contrast a bird with seemingly little value in our minds, yet He cares so much about, with the unfathomable value He places on my life as a believer. It is almost beyond comprehension that according to His Word in this passage at any given time, God knows the exact number of hairs on my head...

Last night when I showered and lost a few, He knew how many. This morning as I did my hair, He knew how many strands came out. If I shed some as I go about my day today, He'll know that too! He cares to know so much about me that He keeps a running tally of the number of hairs in this curly do! And not only mine, yours too!

Though I may at times feel forgotton, banished, abandoned, persecuted, or worse... my God says here, "Do not be afraid." If my God cares so much about me that I'm worth counting hairs over, whom shall I fear? More than that, my God records my sighs and tears collecting them in a bottle (Psalm 56:8), He gathers my prayers in bowls of gold because they produce a sweet aroma like incense to His senses (Revelation 5:8), and He counts my losses (Joel 2:25) so that they will in some way be compensated for to my advantage. 

As if that were not enough to convince me of my worth and value, I must also consider the cross. My Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to bear the full weight of God's wrath on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin, so that I could be presented as clean and righteous before Holy God when I entered into a relationship with Him. When I placed my trust in Him some 22 years ago and gave Him the reigns of my life, the blood He shed on that cruel cross washed away my sin and filth and made me clean - white as snow - in God's eyes. I am worth far more than sparrows!

Thank You Jesus for the gift of eternal life and my salvation (John 3:16). Thank You Jesus for rescusing me and delighting in me (Psalm 18:19). Thank You Jesus for clothing me in a robe of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10). Thank You that my faith is worth more than gold (1 Peter 1:7). Thank You for giving my life purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). Help me to live daily as one who sees her value and worth in God's eyes as precious, and is not pursuaded otherwise by the enemy's lies or life's circumstances. Convince me through and through I pray. In Jesus' name, amen.