His Eye Is On the Sparrow…and Me
Amanda Watlington
The Psalms are religious songs. Psalm 33, like many others, is a hymn of praise on the power and might of the Lord. It also admonishes the reader to remember that the Lord loves righteousness and justice and that the loving-kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth (verse 5). Amidst the explanation of the Lord being more powerful than the will of mere mortals, there is a strong message of joy. Looking down from heaven, the Lord beholds all of the earth and its people, and this knowledge of God’s watchfulness should bring joy to mankind.
This aspect of the psalm resonates with me at this juncture of my life. This past year has been filled with loss and sorrow. I am at the stage in life when many of my longest and dearest friends are passing away or nearing the end of their lives. Over the course of Summer 2024, I lost three people very influential in my life. The first was in June, a beloved friend who seemed indomitable to whatever tragedy befell her, and there were many. She taught me many lessons in loving perseverance. Then in July, my best friend from college passed away. She buoyed me up whenever the going got tough, helping me gain resilience that I have felt blessed with throughout my adult life. Then, in August, my favorite cousin died of mesothelioma.
This same horrible disease took my father-in-law’s life over twenty years ago. At his funeral in a Baptist church in Boone, North Carolina, two women with beautifully-matched voices sang the hymn “Eye on the sparrow.” It was the first time that I had heard this hymn, written in 1905 by Civilla D. Martin and Charles H. Gabriel. It is a hymn of reassurance and comfort. The lyrics have stuck with me over the years, bringing comfort in times of sadness. The refrain which speaks of a loving all observant God has once again brought comfort to me at this time of loss: “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.” This admonition that because God is watching over the tiny sparrow should bring happiness reassures me that he is watching over me and all mankind. This joy in an all-knowing, benevolent Lord is echoed in Psalm 33, for verse 18 states that: “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him, on those who wait upon his love.” My faith in an all-knowing, all-seeing, benevolent God uplifts my spirit.
As we enter the Advent season, and the start of the new Christian year, I will personally use this time to try and lay aside my sorrow at the losses of the last year and gain joy from the knowledge that the Lord has his eye on me as well as all the sparrows—a divine task that fills me with wonder and awe.
