When I was in high school, my dad died of cancer. That was a very frightening and lonely time for me. I had lots of questions about God and death. How could God take away my dad when I was only 14? How could he let someone who was a pastor who loved people and freely shared the gospel suffer and die? I was angry with God and was sure that he didn’t care about me. Those feelings filled me with a lot of hopelessness and fear.
As Jesus talks to his disciples, he addresses some of the same questions I had when I was 14. He talks about sparrows—a common and inexpensive bird. Jesus assures his followers that if God cares about them—and, yes, he does!—then of course God cares much more about each one of us. So Jesus reminds his disciples, “Do not be afraid. . . .”
Instead of fearing anyone or anything on this earth that might hurt us, he says, the only one we should fear is God himself. After all, God holds every part of our lives in his hands. That might seem frightening, but in the end, when God’s control is paired with his care for us, we don’t need to be afraid that God will forget about us. God’s love for us is greater than we can imagine. No matter what happens, God loves us and calls us to worship and adore him because of that love.
Loving God, you care for us more than we could know. No matter what we go through, let us worship and adore you through it all. Amen.
About the author — Bret Lamsma
Bret Lamsma is director of faith formation at a church in Denver, Colorado, and has served churches in Michigan and California in youth, inter-generational, and educational ministries. Bret and his wife, Julie, have two children, and he enjoys hiking, camping, and visiting national parks with his family.
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