With great power [Jesus] cares for the world in which we live down to the last detail. We are included in that care.

It was a quiet morning late in summer. Except for one small bird on the deck. I think it was a young bluebird, not yet blue. I admit I'm not an expert on birds, but I do enjoy their visits. A pair of sandhill cranes regularly visited my backyard this summer. I think they liked the abundance of grasshoppers and small toads. The swallows darted over the grass catching some of our bumper crop of bugs. Different birds stop by to visit, even if only for a moment.

Those visits often remind me of the words of Jesus: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. . . . So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29,31).

We all turn our attention away from God's created world so we can take care of our own affairs. Then we wonder sometimes why God seems to have forgotten us. Tragedy, pain, and misery cloud our vision. Yet the apostle Paul reminds us of the lessons of nature, "Since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made" (Romans 1:20).

What wonderful clues of his power, care, and even majesty God has left for everyone—believers and unbelievers alike—in the birds we don't always notice or the regular sunrise and sunset each day. "Don't be afraid," Jesus encouraged. With great power he cares for the world in which we live, down to the last detail. We are included in that care.

The birds are disappearing again this fall. A few remain, but many take long flights to places where God will feed them and care for them. I find two levels of thankfulness. First, thank God for the birds that have visited us this summer. Actually, that thankfulness is for God's care of the beautiful variety in the created world and stretches beyond the birds to include the grasses, trees, seas, and mountains. These are blessings he graciously gives to me and all humanity.

The second level of thankfulness is in two words of Jesus, "worth more." I marvel at God's meticulous care of his birds and the blessings of sight and hearing that allow me to see and listen to those birds. But we are "worth more" to him than the birds. How so?

It's not just that we are larger than the birds. Then the elephants would be worth more than the birds—and more than any of us. And it's not that we are smarter and contribute so much more to society or civilization. That might be true, yet some would suggest that the colored feathers, flight, and song of a bird are unmatched by any human creation.