A Fallen Sparrow

I guess it just flew right into the side of the house. On the way out to dinner this evening, the boys and I noticed something on the ground, something that was not a part of the landscape. A dead sparrow lay there on the ground and we wondered how it got there. A few minutes later Christen was able to help us put the pieces together when she recalled hearing an unexplained "thump" outside the kitchen early this morning. Camdyn and Cayde were amazed to see wildlife up close and personal even if it was just a dead sparrow. We disposed of the bird and quickly headed out for some barbecue with some close friends, but this occasion provided great conversation for us as a family. My mind quickly ran to the following passage of Scripture:

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. Not one. Not even the one that falls two millenia later in Southeast Georgia when flying into someone's home. God is sovereign, absolutely sovereign, and he governs the universe by his providence.1 Even the smallest of details in the smallest of creatures are all governed by the Sovereign Lord. The very hairs of our heads are numbered, Jesus says.

What do we gather from this? Comfort. It is not comforting to know that God is sovereign; it is comforting to know that God is good in his sovereignty. It is comforting to know what Jesus says, that we are not to fear for we are of more value than many sparrows. What freedom we have in this knowledge of God's sovereign goodness! The King who upholds all things cares for us. We know this, not because of a dead bird, but because of a dead Son. There was never a more heinous crime than the murder of the Son of God, yet the Father decreed the slaughter of Jesus and he did so for our sake in order to reconcile us to himself.

1. Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence?
A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.