His Eye is On the Sparrow
Glory to God: 661

Text Civilla D. Martin 1905
Music Charles H. Gabriel 1905

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heav’n and home;
When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is he;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me.
Refrain:
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.
“Let not your heart be troubled,”
His tender word I hear,
And resting on his goodness,
I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path he leadeth,
But one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me. [Refrain]
Whenever I am tempted,
Whenever clouds arise;
When songs give place to sighing,
When hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to him,
From care he sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know he watches me. [Refrain]

Today’s Devotion

Today’s devotion comes to us from a book I have used over the past few years. Unrevealed Until It’s Season by James C. Howell, published by Upper Room Books.

And everything that is born. When I was a young pastor, I had a handful of members who were most unhappy with our “new hymnal” (which was nearly 20 years old at the time!) fr several glaring omissions, the most egregious being “His Eye is On the Sparrow.”

“We should never have replaced the old Cokesbury Hymnal! “ they said. Never mind the fact that they had plenty of old copies on hand and that none of my people even needed a book to sing “Why should I feel discouraged?” I just found it to be kind of corny, sentimental, and not strong enough stuff for the tough theology I was lifting up to my people. But despite my resistance, the hymn would not go away. A warbly soprano I loved dearly would regularly sing it as a solo.

I must have been just the kind of guy Jesus hoped would overhear when he told the people who didn’t matter in the world’s eyes that, in God’s eyes, they were fabulously precious. Thankfully, I’ve fallen back in love with this old hymn that I heard my grandmother sing while she went about her chores. Jesus asked us to see God’s handiwork and sustenance in mere sparrows. Walter Brueggeman calls them “model citizens in the kingdom of God.” They nest inside the glorious Temple itself (see Psalm 84:3), too high to be shooed away by the priests and their acolytes. God feeds and clothes them, quite naturally. These non-acquisitive, trusting creatures have no worries. Easy for sparrows, I’d say.

The hymn asks, “Why should I be discouraged?” Let me count the ways. “Why should the shadows come?” is worth pausing over, not merely to count all the darkness that imposes itself in every life. Raymond Barfield, in his book on beauty and suffering, Wager, talks about learning to “reverence your shadow.” If you’re in the world, you cast a shadow. It’s proof you’re here. If there’s light, there is shadow, and if there’s shadow, then there’s light. Obviously – but that is why shadows come.

What’s so lovely about this hymn is that it doesn’t pledge or expect a quick fix or any fix at all. It’s not that God will do what I ask or that God will repair everything tomorrow. It’s simply that God cares. God sees. His eye is on the sparrow – as virtually worthless as a sparrow might seem to be. Jesus pointed out that 5 are sold for two pennies (see Luke 12:6)! God miraculously cares for each one. God sees the sparrow, and God sees you and me. And it’s not just a passing glance. Birdwatchers are patient, focused people, peering through their binoculars, noticing the slightest flutter of a feather, turn of the head, opening of the beak, or twitching of the talon.

Who was Jesus! Who is he? His nickname at birth was Emmanuel, “God with us.” His parting words were “I will be with you.” He is not a magical fulfiller of wishes or fixer of all troubles. He is with us. That’s what my grandmother was singing about while sweeping and ironing. God’s abiding presence infused her with joy and strength. She was dirt poor, and her arthritis pained her. But Jesus was her “portion,” a lovely echo of Psalm 73:26.

Indeed, my grandmother and my warbly soprano friend soared to the climatic high note in the hymn, which occurs on “I’m free.”

Not free American-style, the paltry notion that I can do whatever I dang well please. No, I’m free like a bird, as in Paul’s ringing declaration, “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1). Free from the cruel bondage of sin, anxiety, and fretting over self-worth or the terror of mortality.

Civilla Durfee Martin wrote the words to this hymn as a poem after visiting her friend, Mrs. Doolittle, who had been bedridden for more than 20 years. Martin’s husbandasked Mrs. Doolittle her secret of joy in the thick of affliction. “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches me.” That was in 1905.

It was back in maybe the year 28 that Jesus said pretty much the same thing. No wonder the hymn remains despite failing to make the cut with the hymnal committee. No wonder it’s been recorded countless times. There are versions by Gladys Knight, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Holiday, Marvin Gaye, Sandi Patty, and (my personal favorite) Mahalia Jackson. Although I believe God always prefers it in the voice of my warbly soprano friend.

This concludes the devotion by James C. Howell. For us Presbyterians it was a glorious sight to see that this hymn made it into our very own Glory to God, Hymn 661. Printed in 2014.

Also, please enjoy this stirring rendition by our very own Melinda Lovern who recorded this song back when the pandemic was going strong in August 2020. Her clear, radiant soprano rings out through the verses and the dramatic high not at the words: I’m free. Also of special note is Peter Larson’s always wonderful accompaniment! Thank you to you both!

Philip

Hymn of the Week: March 15, 2024