Devotionals for the Heart: God watches over the sparrows and you

God’s Valuable Sparrows
A devotional by Karen Marstaller

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

–Matthew 22:36-39 (ESV)

While in college, a friend invited me to join a new choir that was forming. Not particularly blessed with any kind of singing voice, I went because there weren’t any tryouts and because some of my friends were joining. In all, 350 students came together to sing.

We were a happy bunch, always full of laughter and fun. There was no pressure, so when I knew there was no way a high C was coming out of my froggy throat, mouthing the words became my way to participate. Lip synching wasn’t even heard of back then, but I was pretty good at it.

Our choir received many invitations to sing, and one festival stands out among all the rest.

It was spring, and the weather was beautiful, especially since the venue was outdoors. The day was warm, but the breeze was cool. We’d been on the stage for a long time, running sound checks, and moving people around a little bit. Then our director surprised us by telling us to take a seat. Those of us who stood on the stage ended up sitting on the floor, and I ended up near the director’s stand.

We waited, and then an elderly woman stood up from her seat in front of us and slowly made her way to the stairs. A couple students helped her up the steps, and then she made her way to the microphone that now replaced our director’s stand. Beaming at the audience in front of her, she turned and looked at all of us behind her. Then she said something I couldn’t hear, but the people in front of her did. Gentle laughter rippled across the arena.

An expectant hush prickled my skin, and then the most wonderful, melodious, rich, and full contralto began to saturate the air around us. She sang about the sparrows, a song we all knew. Listening to her that day was like basking in God’s perfect light, and although I didn’t know God personally at the time, I was drawn into her music.

As she reached the end of the song, she began to speak the words instead of singing them. She said, “I know.” She waved an arthritic index finger at the large crowd, and with all the strength in her, repeated, “I know. I know Who holds the future. And I know…” She cupped her hands as though she held her audience. “That He watches….” She turned to her left and to her right, cupping all of us on the stage in her hands, too. Then with both hands full, she brought them together in front of her and said, “Over we.”

At that moment, something I’d always known but had never crystallized before became solid and real to me. We are all citizens of the world God has created, and it doesn’t matter from what country we originated, what language we spoke, or what color our skin happened to be. We are all held in God’s hands as Ethel Waters demonstrated that day. We, all of us, are the collective “we,” the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty. He holds us and He loves us, and He knows every beat of our heart, and every tear, along with every joy.

He truly does watch over “we.”

And we, in turn, love Him. Jesus tells us that we are to care for “the least of these” in Matthew 25:40. He says that our care for others is literally the way to care for Jesus Himself. When we love Jesus, our love for others defines our lifestyle. It’s the things that we do, not just the things we talk about. It’s the true, demonstrable love we show for those around us. Care and compassion motivate us, concern for the lost consumes us, and Jesus Christ’s love compels us.

That day so long ago still touches my heart. Ethel Waters was driven by her love for God’s people. Love brought her to that festival, even though she was quickly approaching her final homecoming. Love assisted her up those steps. Love opened her mouth to share her vision of the Lord, and of His care for each one of us. And finally, her cupped hands symbolically holding all of the people around her, remain a beautiful picture of our oneness in Christ Jesus.

Let’s Pray: Dear Lord God, You have told us to love You with everything we are, and to love each other the same way. We try, but sometimes we aren’t very good at loving other people, so we ask You to help us. Show us how to love You better than we did yesterday. Help our love to be so rich and pure that it spills out into the lives of those around us. Help us to love Your children, all of them, in the same way we love You. Thank You. In Jesus’s Name we pray. Amen.

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Note from Alexis: Karen’s devotional reminded me of the song “His Eye Is On the Sparrow” and I found an old recording of it by Ethel Waters. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Karen Marstaller is a retired high school teacher who spent most of her career challenging creative students to write. Her heart is for her readers.

She writes to encourage them, to make them laugh, to show them that life is a beautiful journey, and regardless of their past, to show them that there is joy ahead if they will just keep looking.

Karen and her husband live in central Texas in a sweet little home that they completely remodeled. They enjoy spending time with their family, which includes seven precious grandchildren.

Most of all, Karen writes in obedience to the command to love your neighbor, to offer a cup of water to those who are dying of thirst, and to comfort others with the comfort she has received.

You can reach Karen by emailing her at this address: klmarstaller@gmail.com