The reward of Christ also involves a greater security than this world can ever provide. After Jesus talked about the sparrows in Matthew 10, he reminded his disciples of his love for them. In his words, “Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”15 Jesus knows every detail of our lives, and he cares for us deeply. This is the second reason that we have nothing to fear.
A few weeks ago we sent out a family from our church to an impoverished country overseas. Several months earlier Craig and Amy had shared with me their desire to sell their home in Birmingham and take their three kids to another part of the world where they could better glorify God. As we talked, I encouraged them to persevere through what I anticipated would be difficult times ahead. A couple of months after that initial meeting, we met again, and Craig shared with me the setbacks they had experienced. Since we had last talked, one of their grandmothers had died, one of their brothers had been rushed to the hospital with a stroke, they had been robbed, and they had been in a car wreck.
On top of all this, they had been dealing with various health problems that Amy was experiencing. This was threatening to limit their ability to go overseas because Amy’s health might require her to live in a particular climate that would be more conducive to her health. With tears in their eyes, Craig and Amy shared how God had led their hearts to one particular country. When they went to her doctor to ask his opinion on how Amy would fare in that climate, the doctor said that she would actually do even better in that climate than in the United States.
Indeed, God knows every detail of our lives, and when we step out in faith to follow him, he will show us that our greatest security is not found in the comforts we can manufacture in this world but in the faithful provision of the only one who knows our needs and the only one who is able to meet our needs in every way.