Nothing too small in us . . . to be ordained by God
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 (Matt 10: 29-31).
—Huldrych Zwingli (Protestant Reformer), The Defense of the Reformed Faith, 145.We cannot but admit that not even the least thing takes place unless it is ordered by God. For who has ever been so concerned and curious as to find out how much hair he has on his head? There is no one. God, however, knows the number.
Indeed, nothing is too small in us or in any other creature, not to be ordered by the all-knowing and all-powerful providence of God.
These words remind me that God's providence enables me to trust.
I think this also means that a sustained "fear" of what may happen to me or my family exposes a lack of trust in God's sovereign hand and essentially demonstrates disobedience to Christ's command to "fear not."
Jesus argues that the truth about the lesser matter demonstrates the truth about the greater matter. Insignificant little birds do not escape the guidance of their creator, so why would I fear his neglect?
The sparrow flies and falls within the scope of providence. If a bird cannot fly high enough or travel far enough to escape the grasp of God's guiding hand, then why would I entertain the notion for myself?
An implication of this truth is that I'm not to worry, fear, or be anxious about what happens to my family; about my dad who is battling leukemia; or my daughter who is forming in my wife's womb. Jesus exhorts me to take my fear of chance and circumstance and transfer it into trust in providence and his good pleasure. Hope. Trust. Prayer. These are the actions appropriate in a world that he is guiding. Trifling matters do not exist in this world; only intricate details.
God is sovereign over sparows. So too, white blood cells and amniotic fluid.
"I believe; help my unbelief"
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Amen.
Ched,
Thank you for these thoughts. With Leigh Anne, "Amen." May the Lord help my unbelief.
Bret
I think you bring this out in your post, but for me, knowing and believing in God's sovereignty means nothing to me apart from his infinite wisdom and unconditional love. These qualities, among others, of God's divine nature are what make sovereignty a comforting thing. In life, I know that God is sovereign; it is how that sovereignty plays out that scares me sometimes, but praying for the Lord to help my unbelief enables me by his Spirit to welcome the exercise of his sovereignty in all manner of ways, knowing that this all-good God is working his perfect will through every circumstance, some more difficult than others as demonstrated in your own situation, ranging from the birth of a child to a father who is fighting a major cancer. Nevertheless, the fact that God being all-wise and perfectly loving and gracious is able to make his divine will which flows out of these attributes the ruling rod in all of creation by means of his total-sovereignty and providence is doubly-comforting and consoling, though I sometimes lament, "Why O God?"
Kim and I remain in constant prayer for the Spellman's over both of these two concerns.
Amen. I find myself somewhere between faith and anxiety...believing weakly. Thanks for the encouraging word. May God grant us grace to help our unbelief.
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