His Eye is on the Sparrow

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.

(Chours):
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 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.

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.
— Civilla D. Martin (1905)

In the spring of 1905, Civilla D. Martin and her husband, Dr. William Martin, were staying in Elmira, New York. Civilla, a Canadian educator who had once taught school in Nova Scotia, had married William—an evangelist and musician—and together they traveled in an itinerant ministry.

While in Elmira, the Martins formed a close friendship with Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle, a couple whose circumstances might have caused many to lose hope. Mrs. Doolittle had been confined to her bed for nearly twenty years. Her husband, an incurable cripple, traveled to and from his business by wheelchair.

Yet their home was marked not by despair, but by a remarkable and radiant Christian faith. They encouraged everyone who knew them.

One day, while visiting the Doolittles, Dr. Martin commented on their enduring hopefulness. He asked how they could remain so joyful despite the hardships they carried. Mrs. Doolittle answered with quiet confidence: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”

Those few words stayed with Civilla and William Martin. The simple declaration of trust in God’s watchful care touched them deeply and stirred Civilla’s imagination. From that encounter came the words to the beloved hymn, “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.”

Dr. Martin first attempted to compose music for the poem himself, but neither he nor Civilla felt that it captured the message as they hoped. They then sent the lyrics to Charles H. Gabriel, an accomplished gospel musician and songwriter, asking him to create a fitting melody.

Gabriel’s music gave wings to Civilla Martin’s words, carrying the hymn’s enduring message of faith, comfort, and God’s loving attention to people around the world.