July 2025 Devotional: Free as a Bird
By Major Beth Desplancke
Territorial Women’s Ministries Program Secretary
In the mornings, when all is quiet, I love to hear the birds chirping and singing outside the window. They are so worry-free, they can’t help but greet the morning with a song. There is something inspiring about birds. Rumi, a 13th century poet wrote this: “I want to sing like the birds sing, not worrying about who hears or what they think.” Birds don’t worry, they sing. We even have a saying, “free as a bird,” which suggests a state of being carefree and able to do as one pleases, similar to the unrestrained movement of a bird flying in the air.
For those of us who are in Christ (who have received Him as our Savior), we can be free from worry. Jesus Himself used the example of birds to teach His followers of our freedom in Him.
In Luke 12:6 He uses sparrows as his object lesson: Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.
We do not need to worry because we are valuable to God! In this verse Jesus is assuring every believer that their life is precious and remembered by God. Matthew 10:29 says a similar thing; but Matthew references buying two sparrows for one copper coin. Here we learn that five sparrows cost two copper coins. To the seller, the sparrows were of so little value, that if a person was willing to by four, he would willingly throw in the fifth for free!
But even the discount sparrow is of value to God. Not one of them is forgotten by God. Jesus then says, Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Luke 12:7a). Imagine that – God takes the time to count each and every hair on your head, and on every head of every person on the planet! God take note of and cares for every minute detail of our lives! Then Jesus says these reassuring words, Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Luke 12:7b). We can be free like a bird and be free from worry because we are valuable to God.
Jesus goes on in the same chapter to reference another bird, to once again remind us that we can be free from worry. In Luke 12:22-26, we read,
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable are you than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”
After drawing attention to sparrows, now Jesus focuses on ravens. God feeds, cares and provides for them. They don’t have to worry about planting seed and growing crops, or even storing food for later. God feeds them. Psalm 147:9 states, He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.
Jesus assures His listeners a second time that His children are more valuable than the birds! We are precious and loved by God. He feeds them and cares for them; He will do the same for you.
When Jesus says, “Do not worry” it is a loving command. We need not worry because it accomplishes nothing. We can’t add more time to our life by worrying. And let’s be honest, worrying impacts our health, and could diminish the length of our life. Someone once said, “Worry is like a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere.”
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “That the birds of worry and care fly over you head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.”
We can be free from worry because if God cares for the sparrows and the ravens, He cares even more for you. 1 Peter 5:7 proclaims, Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Instead of keeping all your cares inside, allowing it to fill your heart and mind with worries, we can cast them to him – literally throw our worries onto His shoulders – because He cares for us.
How can we be free like a bird, and not filled with worry? Besides the invitation to cast our cares on Him, He invites us to turn them over to Him in prayer: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
We can soar free from worry, knowing that He values us, loves us, and cares for us. We can give everything that is causing us to worry or be anxious over to Him. We can be free from worry because God, who loves and cares for the sparrows and the ravens, loves and values us even more!
May the song Sparrows by Cory Asbury remind you in Christ you are free from worry, because He takes good care of us.
