His eye is on the sparrow

Last evening I almost said to Pat, "Ssh! Listen! Can you hear the song? From deep within I could hear it!

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Chorus:
I sing because I'm happy,
I sing because I'm free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

"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.
Chorus

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.
Chorus

The first time I remember hearing the song a distant relative from Northern Michigan sang it in church. If she had recorded an album they would have been sold at J. L. Hudson’s downtown on the "irregular" counter. I had a little trouble with the bird image, and the capacity for full-blown discouragement had not yet been developed as I was still in elementary school.

It was 1953, I looked it up, and Billy Graham came to Detroit for an extended crusade. My recollection is that Ethel Waters sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow." She really set the high water mark for that song in my opinion.

But, my favorite soloist’s rendition of "His Eye" occurred at Vailsburg Assembly of God. The new church was barely gaining traction. Our team was weary following months of building renovations and start-up efforts. Howard and Dorothy DeCosta, Jamaicans who had been saved in their homeland because of faithful missionary efforts, began attending. Dorothy could sing! Really sing! On a Sunday when Matthew 10 was my text, Dorothy sang like I’ve never heard the song sung before. Like warmed wax the lyrics melted into my soul. The words soothed surfaces of my spirit and penetrated into the cracks and crevices as healing balm.

Pat and I have had to confront a few uncertainties the last few days. We need to make a few decisions. Today is unlike any other day and we both were beginning to feel a bit anxious. You’ve probably had a few of those days yourself! After doing the really spiritual things like reading the Bible, praying and seeking counsel, my coping mechanism is to retreat. I filled the evening reading the memoire of a family that suffered at the hands government officials who tested their loyalty to the United States. The book is fascinating but does little to inform us about which path to take! My eyes grew tired, so I started toward the bedroom. And then the song started! The tune was being sung by all the voices I had heard before, the odd relative whose voice was not that good, Ethel Waters, smaller Pentecostal congregations, recorded artists and Dorothy!

Pat knows that when I die the song must be sung at my memorial service. I haven’t been told the date yet, but I believe it will be long enough into the future for you to learn the lyrics so you can sing along.