#TuesdayTruth Matthew 10:29-31
Matthew 10:29-31
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
I think most of us can occasionally fall into the “trap” of feeling anxious about provision for our needs. Most of us (living in this country, at this time in civilization) are very fortunate in that we do not often have to worry about our basic human needs being met (food, water, clothing, shelter, hygiene), but budgets can certainly be just plain tight at times and there is a need to restrict (or be more cautious) with our finances. However, imagine for a moment not actually knowing if you/your family will have food and clean drinking water for the next day.
I was recently reminded of what this must have been like for the Israelites when they left Egypt. Without knowing the journey that lay ahead, God literally led them out of captivity, with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to guide them. He split the Red Sea for them allowing them to walk through on dry land, and provided drinkable water for them on multiple occasions. He literally cared for every need of hundreds of thousands of His chosen people. The Israelites (much like us) took these things for granted and failed to see what God was doing in their midst. They actually went to Moses and Aaron to complain about the conditions in which they were living (because regardless of their captivity at least they had food in Egypt)! God’s response to their complaints was to RAIN DOWN bread for them and provide them meat in the form of quail! I think we sometimes lose sight of just how amazing that must have actually been.
All this to say that their worth to our Heavenly Father had been established before their time in the wilderness began. The Bible says “Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Our God had already decided before we were born, before the Israelites were prisoners, before the very pillars of the earth were set that He was going to give the highest ransom He had - His one and only Son- so that we might live. If He then would give so much for our salvation how can we think He would neglect our basic human needs; after all, we are worth more than many sparrows.
We should trust that when God says something, He means it:
When God says that He knows our needs and will provide, He means it.
When God says that He knows the number of the very hairs on our head, He means it.
When God says that you are worth more than many sparrows, He means it.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your provision. Thank you for giving us the assurance in your word that you care so much for the sparrows, so we know you must care even more for us- your sons and daughters. Thank you for seeing, knowing, and meeting our needs (often before we even ask). Thank you that we can rest, knowing that you care for us.
We love you,
Amen.