Empty Nets & Broken Lives Sample

Believing in the Personalized Care of the Father

If you have ever been in an airplane, you’ve probably looked out the window at takeoff, and seen how the streets, houses, cars, and buildings quickly shrink and then disappear as you ascend upward. Pulling away from the earth is a reminder of how small we are in comparison to the world around us. Even at an altitude of over 30,000 feet, we see only a sliver of the vastness of God’s creation. 

Have you ever felt small and insignificant in this great big world? Or wondered if your needs really matter to God when there are billions of other people on the planet? 

We know God so loved the world, but does he really care about the needs, cares, and pressures of my day-to-day life? In Luke 12, Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).

There are between 50-430 billion birds on earth, and the most abundant of the species is the sparrow. For all the billions of sparrows, not one is forgotten by God. If God knows every sparrow, including when one falls to the ground and dies, does he not also know and care about what we need?

After all, no sparrow was ever made in the image of God. No sparrow was ever named a joint heir with Jesus Christ or received eternal life. No sparrow ever received the promise of heaven and an eternity of never-ending joy, peace, and happiness. No sparrow was ever given the promise of an indwelling Holy Spirit that takes up residence inside their hearts.  

This is the heart of the gospel and our hope as believers. We know that we are set apart from everything else God created, because we were made in his image, and we’re made to reflect his glory. No bird was ever given such status. This is our hope, and we rest in this simple, yet profound truth: Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.