As I sit here on my porch a little sparrow scolds me (see photo above.) She decided to build a nest in one of my hanging ferns and it frustrates her greatly each morning as I make my way outside with a cup of coffee in my hand and two dogs as my companions.
She titters and she flies around near me, often landing quite close by. Occasionally, she will fly into her nest for a brief second before her fear overtakes her and she leaves again.
The only thing this tiny bird can do is titter and scold. The dogs and I are so much bigger and stronger than her. She is limited and she is powerless.
And so she does the only thing she can: She makes a loud fuss. She feels like her home and her babies are in danger and she does the only thing that she can do.
I think it is fair to say that most of us Americans (and many of you abroad, as well, as you are facing your own country’s political upheavals; they are certainly not limited to America) are feeling like our home is being threatened.
There was a debate last night that was surreal, quite honestly. Can it possibly be that these men are the only two options to lead this great country?!?
Something just doesn’t seem right, does it? Something seems…intentionally planned… But that’s a subject for another day.
But many are upset and are desperately trying to save our country. We fuss and we fret as we see the unwelcome changes to our “home” taking place, finding ourselves powerless to do a thing to fix it. (I am not saying you shouldn’t do what you can, but, at the end of the day, without God’s intervention, we are powerless to change the direction of where this country is headed. And should we expect God to intervene when He has laid out a very specific plan for the last days and it cannot include an strong, independent country such as America was? We have to yield our will and desires to His.)
The sparrow did not pick a wise place to build her home. If she wanted peace and a carefree time of raising her babies, she should have built it in a tree somewhere. But, instead, she built her home in a fern on my porch.
What is going on here and in so many other countries, as well, is a reminder of how many of us have done the same thing. We have “built our nest” in the wrong place. We have set our affections on our earthly, temporal homes rather than on our future, heavenly home.
The Bible says we are but pilgrims and sojourners passing through this world (I Peter 2:11). Our minds are to be set on things above, not on the things of this world (Colossians 3:2).
I know that is so much easier said than done in the midst of all this political chaos and confusion, but, as believers in God and His Word, we know that what looks like chaos is just part of God’s plan coming to fruition. What looks like confusion is not confusing to God.
We don’t have to get worked up as believers as we see the world’s system falling and failing across the world. This had to happen for the end to come as God has revealed it to us in His Word. And it’s not a bad thing. It just means we are getting closer and closer to the rapture and to our final, glorious home!
What I am not implying here is that you shouldn’t vote or hold office or try to make changes to policy or to the culture. If you believe God has called you to do these things, then, by all means, do them.
What I am saying is that these things should never overtake our first calling as believers, which is to share the Gospel and to make disciples for Jesus Christ.
What I am also saying is that we must, of all people, not titter and fret and scold as we wait to see what happens. God’s got this. He has a plan. It might not be our plan and, in fact, it probably isn’t. But He knows what He is doing and we can rest in Him.
As for God, His way is perfect:
the word of the LORD is tried:
He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
(Psalms 18:30)
As I sit here listening to this sparrow (yes, she is still scolding me), I am reminded of that precious passage in Matthew 6—
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
(Matthew 6:26-27)
Not only does God have complete control of Kings and Kingdoms, Presidents, and Prime Ministers (Proverbs 21:1) but He also sees and cares for the small sparrow. How much more does He care for His own dear child? If we are His, we can rest in His abundant promises for this present time and for our future.
In the midst of whatever lies ahead, we have God’s promise that He will walk us through. We do not have the promise that it will be easy or fun. We do not have the promise that we will continue in the lifestyle we have become accustomed to. We do not have the promise that we won’t experience disease or death. But we do have the promise that God will walk us through whatever lies ahead. And we have His promise for a glorious future for all eternity.
So let’s not despair. We serve the mighty King who reigns over all. The King of Kings who never makes even one mistake. We will be just fine, no matter what happens in this crazy world of ours, because we are His.