“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” — Matthew 10:29
In that day sparrows (small birds) were customarily thought of as the smallest of creatures, and the penny was the least valuable of the Roman coins. They were not of much value to anyone for any purpose. But as we learn from this beautiful text, God’s attention was perfectly on the “insignificant things” such as a sparrow and a penny. Nothing could happen to them apart from his permission.
Jesus hear is speaking to his disciples before he sends them out on their missionary journey where they would preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and usher in the Kingdom of God. Before he sends them on their journey, however, Jesus instructs them with many encouraging words. We get to Matthew 10:29 (the verse above) and see Jesus speaking crystal clear to his disciples about God’s sovereignty. He is saying this: God is sovereign over even the most insignificant events in our life.
If God gives constant sovereign supervision even to seemingly insignificant creatures, surely he will care for his disciples in every aspect of their lives! You were created in the image of God and are much more valuable than birds and pennies.
When we speak of God’s sovereignty, we are precisely saying this: God has absolute rule over all of creation as King and total control and determination over all that happens. God is not only the One who allows and is in control of everything that happens in our life, he is also the One who determines everything that happens in our life. And if we are in Christ, we know that all things work together in our life for our good and his glory.
Most Christians do not have a hard time understanding God’s sovereignty in the big events we face — cancer, job promotion, new spouse, etc — but not enough Christians have a deep appreciation for God’s sovereignty in the little things we face.
Text message you sent to that person you like but they didn’t respond? God is sovereign.
Ran out of your favorite kind of Ice Cream moments before you got to Dairy Queen? God is sovereign.
Tweaked a muscle in your hamstring now you can’t work out for two weeks? God is sovereign.
Lost in a game of Halo to a friend? God is sovereign.
Accidentally peed on yourself while using the restroom during a first date with someone? Fortunately for you, God is sovereign.
There is a mysterious relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility that I’m not going to get into, but we must trust that God is in control of all that happens, allows all that happens, and is the One who determines all that happens.
Trust God’s sovereignty in your life. Especially in the little things.
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