Hello, Good evening. I’m Dennis Edwards. I wanted to share with you a beautiful song written by a woman called C.D. Martin with music composed by Charles Gabriel. You probably have heard it before. It’s called, “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” It goes like this.
"His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart feel lonely and long for heaven and home? When Jesus is my portion. My constant friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"And I sing, because I’m happy. And I can sing, because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"Let not your heart be troubled. His tender word I hear. And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears. Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see, His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"And I can sing, because I’m happy. I can sing, because I’m free, because His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"When ever I am tempted, when ever clouds arise. When faith or hope gives way to sighing, when fears within me rise. I draw the closer to Him, from fears He sets me free. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me.
"And I sing, because I’m happy, and I sing, because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me."
I made a little mistake there while I was singing. It goes like this, “When song gives place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free, His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching me."
Like the little sparrow out in the field, it’s says in the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus said, "Not one sparrow falls to the ground without your father knowing it."[Matthew 10:29] His eye is on each one of us. You may be fearful and wondering what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future and we know that we are in the Lord’s hands. Earlier in Matthew chapter six Jesus said, "That as God clothed the grass of the field and gives food to the sparrows of the air, shall He not take care of each one of us?"[Matthew 6:26]
Fear not. Trust in Him. God is in control. God is in control of your life. "Draw," the Bible tells us to "draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."[James 4:8] In the psalms it says, “It is good for a man to draw nigh to God.”[Psalm 73:28] In these times of trouble and tribulation and uncertainty, it’s time for us to draw closer to Jesus. Get your Bible out and get down on your knees, pray, fast and pray. Call out to God for guidance. Call out to God to show you exactly what you should do and how you should think and what you should believe.
There is so much information coming out, so many theories and opinions and experts and everyone contradicts the other, so it’s hard to undertsand what is the truth. But if we call upon the Lord with all our heart, He says, “Call upon me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which thou knowest not.”[Jeremiah 33:3] You just need to call upon the Lord. He says, “Ye shall seek Me and find Me when ye shall seek for Me with all your heart.”[Jeremiah 29:13] There is something about getting really desparate with the Lord that helps to bring answers, solutions, clarity of mind, healing, breakthroughs with problems, situation, so call upon the Lord, pray with others.
The Bible says that “One can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight.”[Deuteronomy 32:30] So get together with your workmate, your wife or your brother or sister, or mother or father, or lover. Get together and pray together and God will show you exactly what to do.
I am going to read you two verses. One from Isaiah. Isaiah 41 verse 10 says, let me just find it. Let me put my glasses on. “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will help thee, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with the righthand of my righteousness.” I will repeat it. “Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, (don’t be discouraged), because I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with the righthand of my righteousness.” Don’t fear, don’t be discouraged, I will help you, I will uphold you. I will strengthen you. That’s what the Lord says through Isaiah.
Let’s go right back to the book of Joshua, Joshua 1 verse 9. We see the Lord says the same thing to Joshua and He is saying the same thing to us. We are His disciples. He’s saying the same thing to us today. And here’s what he said to Joshua when Joshua took over as leader from Moses. He said, “Have I not commanded you, Be strong and of good courage. (Be strong and of good courage.) Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed (or discouraged), for I the Lord thy God am with thee whithersoever thou goest.” So the Lord is with us. The Lord is with us wherever we go. So we don’t need to be afraid. We can be strong. We can have good couraged, be encouraged, not be discouraged. That’s what God’s word is telling us over and over again.
Jesus says the same thing there when He says the sparrow falls not to the ground without your father knowing it.[Matthew 10:29] His eye is on the sparrow. Don’t be discouraged. "Let not your heart be troubled. His tender word I hear. And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears." So we need to rest on the goodness of the Lord. Rest on His promises. Grab ahold of His promises. Hold onto His promises, and have faith. When those clouds come in, hold onto God’s word, and pray, and pray, and sing, go on the internet and listen to some praise songs.
Pray with your friend and God will send victory. God will send encouragement. Because His eye is on you and He’s watching you. He loves you and He cares for you and He really wants to provide for your needs and help you not be afraid. He is going to be with you no what comes, because He promises to be with us till the end of time.[Matthew 28:20] "Our times are in His hands."[Psalm 31:15] We don’t need to fear. “Fear not them,” He says in that same chapter where He talks about the sparrow, He says, “which can kill the body but are unable to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to cast both soul and body into hell.”[Matthew 10:28] So don’t be afraid of your friends what they are thinking. Just follow God. Follow what He says. Listen to His still small voice in your heart, and be obedient to it.
God’s greatest condemnation in the Old Testament to the Jews was not that they disobeyed His commandments, but that they disobeyed the voice of the Lord.[Deuteronomy 28:15; 30:19-20; Jeremiah 7:23-24] They disobeyed that little small voice of the Lord in their conscience which told them how to apply the commandments. Let’s not be disobedient. Let’s not be dismayed. Let’s be believing, and let’s have faith. Let’s encourage one another. Let’s lift up our hands in praise.
Let’s say a little prayer. “Jesus, we just pray for our loved ones. Help them to have a good week, Lord. Help them not to be dismayed, but to be encouraged, to be strong and of good courage, Lord. To fear not because they know that you are going to strengthen them, Lord. You are going to help them, You are going to uphold them with Your righteousness. None of us our righteous enough, but we are relying on Your righteousness to keep us. You saved us, Lord, and You promised that You would keep us till it’s our time to come home to You and You say to us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant."[Matthew 25:21] Help each one to be faithful, a good and faithful servant this week, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. God bless you and have a good week!
