Is God the Great Provider?
By Christy Lowman
Burke County
Are there times in your life that you wonder will God truly provide for you in a time of need?
We’re going to have a look at another animal that God provided and continues to provide for.
Sparrows are mentioned in the Bible. There are many types of sparrows, but we are going to take a look at the House Sparrow because they are very common and you more than likely have them around your house. I’m sure you have seen them before because they like people!
The house sparrow was brought to Brooklyn, New York in 1851 from Europe. They can be found all over North America except in upper Canada and Alaska. House sparrows live wherever there are people, you will not find them anywhere else (except for the group of house sparrows that live in the Central Asian Steppes who are more cautious around people). House sparrows are a small fat bird with a short tail along with a big head. These sparrows grow up to 16cm long and normally live up to 3 years except for a female that lived almost 16 yrs. in Texas.
This widespread songbird makes a shrill monotone chirp. They are very noisy despite their tiny size. The house sparrow hops when not flying instead of walking on the ground and they love to take frequent dirt bathes.
House sparrows have a large variety of things they like to eat: grain, seed, livestock feed, ragweed, crabgrass, buckwheat, people food, especially pizza! Except for the house sparrows that live in Central Asia, house sparrows have special genes that allow them to be able to eat starchy grains, that is why they love people food so much. In the summer they enjoy snacking on insects. The adult birds will also catch insects and feed them to their young in these months. Close to dark, you can see them hanging around lights hunting for bugs. They will also jump on insects in the air or behind mowers.
House sparrows build their nests out of rough dry vegetation, also grass, weeds, twigs, and trash. On the inside, they are lined with soft feathers or other soft materials such as paper or string. They will often reuse their nests and sometimes make small bird communities by building their nests beside each other. House sparrows will also make homes in birdhouses meant for other birds such as bluebirds. They will build nests in holes and cracks in houses and buildings.
These birds can have anywhere between 1-8 eggs at a time and up to 4 times a year. Their small eggs are white, bluish-white, or greenish-white with gray or brown spots. It takes 10-14 days for the babies to hatch. Both parents will take turns taking care of their young until they leave the nest in approximately 2 weeks.
In Bible days, there were a lot of sparrows in Israel. So many that you could buy them very cheaply. But God loved them so much that He made sure they had what they need to survive. He provides them with food, water, and shelter. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.” Matthew10:29 NIV
We are even more cared for by God. If He is willing to care so much for a small bird that is common and doesn’t mean much to people, how much do you think He cares for us? “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12 6-7 NIV.
We are made in God’s image, He loves us so much that He knows our every move, and even how many hairs we have on our head. Do you know how many hairs you have? There’s no way! See if you can count them! I have tried but have lost count so many times!
God is omnipresent, meaning that He is everywhere at once. He can be with you when you are sick and at the same time be with a mother who is giving birth, who lives on the other side of the world!
God provided for the Israelites when they wandered in the desert for forty years. Did you know that their shoes and clothes never wore out? He sent them more than enough food to eat from heaven every day called manna and provided them water to drink. Do you think God loved them more than us? Or that He no longer cares for His people? Of course not! “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” Matthew 6 31-32 NLT
There are many more examples and stories in the Bible of how God provided for his children over and over again. The biggest thing we can do is trust in God. Have faith that He will do the exact same thing for us because He loves us too. Do not be scared of what is going on around us and, in the world, today. If you are troubled, scared or need God to provide something for you, pray and ask God for it. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7 7-8.
Did you know that God tells us not to be afraid in the Bible 365 times? That is one time for each day of the year. God wants you to know every day that He is in control and He will take care of you regardless of what is going on.
I want you to go outside when you wake up in the morning and watch for sparrows and other birds. What you will notice is this. The first thing birds do when they get up is singing to God, they are happy and thankful for each new morning, and don’t have a care in the world. They are thankful for another day. You will also see them finding more than enough food to eat and water to drink. Last but not least, you will see many places for them to find shelter in the storm. There is a lot we can learn from birds.
So next time when you feel scared or wonder if God will provide for you remember that God said, “so don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” Matthew 10:31 NIV He loves all the sparrows and provides for them, and He loves all of us even more.
Dear Lord, I pray that you will be with each one of us. Help us cast all of our fears on You and trust that you will take care of what is worrying us. I pray that each one of us will have faith that You are our great provider who performs miracles, raises people from the dead, can feed and take care of the common sparrow, and who even knows everything about us down to the number of hairs on our head! I pray that we will solely rely on You for our every need! In Jesus’s name, I pray, Amen!
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” Matthew 6 25-34 NIV
Biography
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Sparrow/overview
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/house-sparrow
https://celebrateurbanbirds.org/learn/birds/focal-species/house-sparrow-panama/
https://www.audubon.org/news/how-house-sparrow-conquered-world-encoded-its-genes
Photo credit: https://www.goodfreephotos.com/animals/birds/close-up-of-house-sparrow.jpg.php
