Jesus uses a tiny sparrow, which doesn’t amount to much in this world, to illustrate God’s intimate care and the intrinsic value He places on each of us.
Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
We are deeply valued by the Lord
Jesus was telling His people not to fear because they are more valuable than the sparrows. Many times, fear comes to our hearts because we don’t see ourselves as valuable to God or to others. We fear being forgotten. We fear that if we don’t perform to a certain level or aren’t seen by people, we will not be considered valuable. The beauty of Jesus’ statement is that He uses a sparrow as a point of value comparison. Sparrows are fragile and small birds. As far as I know, they don’t accomplish much except eating seeds, insects, chirping, and reproducing. However, Jesus points out that if the Lord cares for little sparrows, how much more does He value us!
Value Yourself
In our driven culture, many of us have been raised in performance-oriented families, and there is a restorative work that God has to do in our souls. The truth is that we are valuable without performing. This doesn’t give us the license to be irresponsible or to not do our job with excellence. We need to recognize that what we do is our act of worship before a holy God who gives us the abilities we have. It is for Him that we do what we do. However, we don’t use it as a place of finding value or identity! If we value ourselves for how God sees us then we would not be motivated to prove our worth by performance.
Do not Fear
Jesus was reminding His people that when we ponder the value we have in God’s eyes, we don’t need to fear. The Lord is with us. We have more value than the sparrows. In addition, we were created in His image. We are His children and we belong to Him.
Allow God to examine your heart to see if there is an ungodly fear in your heart towards someone or some situation. Meditate on the above passage and allow Him to speak to your fear. Cast it out in the name of Jesus and start walking in the truth you know!
Father, thank you for the value that we have in your eyes. Help us to trust in your care and overcome every form of fear and torment.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay