Birdsong

Jesus warned His disciples right up front that following Him would not be easy. Persecution, privation and even death awaited anyone who took being His follower seriously. Any advertising firm will tell you that accentuating the negative isn't a good selling point for any product.

But there was, as always, a plus side. The same Lord who didn't promise a bed or roses, did make this promise: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…so don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29).

At first glance that sounds positive, the stuff of the famous song from which come these words: "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."

Every day for the believer should be a day of thanking God for keeping an eye on us, even when we fall.

What? Fall?

The promise for the believer is not an absence of all the things that the Lord had just finished warning His followers about; the persecution, privation and death. The promise is that nothing will happen that has not been allowed by a loving heavenly Father who watches over us always no matter what happens.

It's hard to embrace the dark side of life as coming from the hand of a God who loves us and only works for our best. Every one of us carries in us that seed of "peace and prosperity" religion that we think is part of the package that is ours when we come to faith in Christ. Discovering otherwise caused many of Jesus's followers to leave Him. They hadn't signed up for hard times.
There may be hard times, but the promise is that none of those are outside the permissive will of the One who loves us best and most. And He never takes His eye off of us in the process. We can always be assured that things will never get out of hand—His hand.

And in His hand, even the smallest, weakest little bird can feel safe.