He Cares for the Sparrow
September 1 2024
As a child, I loved watching cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Yogi Bear, The Flintstones, and Woody Woodpecker. These shows were incredibly entertaining for a young boy like me. I didn’t have a particular favorite because I enjoyed them all equally. Unlike many of today’s cartoons, these classics were free of sexual innuendos, offering wholesome entertainment that preserved our innocence.
In 2022, I was reminded of the Woody Woodpecker cartoon when a real woodpecker began pecking at my downstairs window. At first, I couldn’t figure out where the noise was coming from, but when I got up to investigate, I was surprised to find a woodpecker at the window. I tapped on the glass, and he flew away, only to return about ten minutes later. What intrigued me was that he was pecking on the metal encasement, even though there was no wood.
Morning after morning he would come with that annoying pecking, which I tolerated until it became too distracting. Then I would tap on the window to make him go away. He came about the same time every single day for a few weeks during the spring and then he would leave for months.
He returned the following spring, his pecking just as annoying as the previous year. He had his routine, and I had mine to make him stop and go away. However, this spring, he didn’t show up, and I wondered why. Did he find a new house to visit, or had he passed away? I’m not sure about a bird’s lifespan, but I do know that God takes good care of them throughout their lives. The song is true: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and He watches over them.’ The Bible confirms this in Matthew 6:26, where Jesus says that the Father feeds them.
When I think about the Father caring for the fowl of the air, it gives me confidence that He will most certainly care for our lives. Therefore, we don’t have to take thought about what we will wear or what we will eat. For the two years that the bird visited my home, he looked well cared for. He seemed to be worry free. He wasn’t distraught about his next meal or where he would lay his head. He knew something that we sometimes forget, God is going to provide for us.
Spring is seven months away and I wonder if the bird will ever visit my home again. If he does, I would imagine he will look the same. I don’t look forward to him pecking on my window again and annoying me, but I would find joy in knowing he is still alive. He just decided to take a break from my house.
I thank God for using a bird to demonstrate what He says in His Word is true. It’s not that I doubted it, but when we see His Word in action, it increases our faith.