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Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Daily Prayer - Two for a penny

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.
 
It has been a while since I shared some of John Fischer's writing with you.  Below is yesterday's Catch of the Day from the "Fischtank".  As you read this let God's view of your worth override your own view of yourself. 
Two for a penny
 
by John Fischer 
 
"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. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matt. 10:29-31).
 
Three things strike me about these simple, beautiful words of Christ.
 
First: His will encompasses everything in my life. If God wills to allow the death plunge of an innocent sparrow and can somehow incorporate that tragic event into His total plan for the world, then He certainly must be doing the same with the apparent tragedies that occur in my life. Limiting God's will to what is good for me (from my finite perspective) is to rob Him of His sovereignty over all things.
 
Second: God is involved with us even in the minutest details of life. The hairs of my head . . . numbered? Really! I can just imagine God saying, "Hold still; I'm counting - 12,534 . . .12,535 . . ." (Except that in my case, it would be - 543. . . whoops... 542. . .!) If God knows how many hairs are in my head, is there anything about me that could possibly escape his knowledge?
 
Third: God not only knows us, but He assigns us the highest value in spite of knowing us completely. "You are worth more than many sparrows." My perception of this concept went through a wonderful metamorphosis as I meditated upon it. At first I wasn't very impressed. How many sparrows am I worth! Fifty? A hundred? At least a thousand, I hope! And then it hit me. Sparrows may not be very important to me, but they are very important to God. He conceived of them in His mind and created them with great care. He fashioned them with perfect aerodynamics and set them soaring in the sky. He taught them how to gather food, to reproduce, and care for their young; and when one flies unwittingly into the invisible trap of my plate-glass window and falls lifelessly to the ground - He knows. Suddenly the worth of sparrows shot up - and so did mine, and with it, the value of every person on the face of this earth.
 
You and I are the creatures He prizes above the rest of His creation. We are made in His image and He sacrificed His Son that each one of us might be one with Him. Sparrows are sold at two for a penny; we were bought for a much higher price. So don't be afraid: nothing escapes His notice.
 
John Fischer
Fischtank.com
Grace and peace be yours in abundance,
Bruce
 
Gracious and merciful Father, through your holy Word we see how you care for all people and how your love and mercy extend to everyone. 
 
Forgive us when we doubt your care. 
 
Remind us daily that if not even a sparrow falls to the ground without your knowledge, how much more you pay attention to our lives and us. 
 
Help us to see that there is never a time when you are not watching over us and comfort us with the knowledge that because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we are truly the objects of your love. 
 
In Jesus' name.  Amen.
 

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