Sparrows

We went to the funeral for Darren's Uncle Hugh this week. I don't know what your expectations are when you attend a funeral, but the last thing that I expected was that God would speak to me there. I figured that we would go and hear some wonderful things said about Uncle Hugh, because he was such a great man, and then we would visit a bit with family and express our sadness to Auntie Helen and that would basically be it. But I was wrong.

I went to the funeral with a heavy heart. It had been a tough couple of days because Darren had gotten some pretty crappy news about his job, and I was really, really discouraged. And frustrated. I had boo-hooed on a friend's shoulder the night before and told her that quite frankly, I wasn't really sure that God even cared enough about us or our problem to do anything about it. My friend reminded me about the scripture that talks about how God cares for the sparrows, and I grudgingly admitted that she was right. But still.

So off we went to the funeral. We sang Just a Closer Walk With Thee, and a couple of the verses jumped out at me:

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Then Uncle Hugh's daughter-in-law spoke about two of his favourite scriptures; Proverbs 3 and Romans 8. Specifically, these:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

And just in case I wasn't paying attention, the last song we sang was His Eye is on the Sparrow. These are some of the lyrics:

"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

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

I'm not sure I can even express how I felt when I left the funeral. I guess I felt lighter. It wasn't a WOO HOO, JUMP UP AND DOWN, I'LL NEVER WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING AGAIN kind of feeling, but more a quiet acceptance of what my heart had known all along. I don't think that it was a coincidence that we sang these songs and listened to these verses. I asked God to speak to me, and He did.

Uncle Hugh was a wonderful man who left a tremendous spiritual legacy for his family. Many people spoke about the way he had touched and impacted their lives through his integrity and great love for the Lord. And throughout the service honouring this great man, God whispered words of comfort and hope and reassurance to me.