Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31, ESV)
We have two kinds of sparrows coming by our feeder these days. The song sparrows began to come at the beginning of April. They are small and timid, and eat from the ground under the feeder. If anything frightens them, they fly away low and fast. They are small and brown, but if you get a close look, you will see that they are not plain. They have beautiful black streaking on their chests.
The chipping sparrows began to come this week. At first glance I assumed they were song sparrows, because they are little brown birds. But I noticed that they were eating at the feeder, and they were much braver than the song sparrows. When I managed to look at them a little more
closely, I noticed that they were slightly larger than the song sparrows, and had rusty-brown caps and plain grayish-white chests.
Watching them at the feeder this morning reminded me of Psalm 84, and how the person who wrote the psalm must have watched some sparrows building a nest at the temple.
How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise!
(Psalm 84:1-4, ESV)
