Luke 12 v 7. “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
There is another element that helps us in the matter of fear and timidity in standing up for the Gospel – and that is the way God values each of his children.
Sparrows and other small birds were often caught and cooked as small delicacies in the market place. They were items of commerce but very cheap to buy. Sometimes an odd sparrow was thrown in if you bought four. But even so, small as they were, cheap and insignificant as they may have been, God was aware of them. Nothing escapes his attention. God’s awareness of us is stressed by the phrase: “The very hairs of your head are numbered.” Our omniscient God knows who we are, where we are, what we are enduring, what insults are poured on us, what actions of injustice or rejection we suffer and much more about us. He is aware of us. We are more valuable than many sparrows, says Christ. And how does He eventually prove this? By going to the Cross and dying for us. He does not die for the sparrows of this world, but for us – with all our sins and foolishness. It is for us, He suffers and dies. It is our hair that is numbered by a God who loves us with a love beyond understanding.
Whether we live or die, laugh or cry, are sad or happy – all is known by God. He is every moment aware of us and what is happening to us. He has placed an eternal value on us and we need to know how much he values us, so Jesus tells us in this passage how valuable we are and He proves it by His Cross.
Dear reader, you may feel like the most unvalued person in the world right now, at this moment. But if you can say truthfully: “Jesus is my Lord”, you are numbered amongst those for whom Christ died. And if Jesus died for you imagine how valuable you are to God.
Believe this. It is true.