Sister Act, Sparrows, and the Power of a Hymn
I love the movie Sister Act 2 for a few reasons. The main reason is it includes one of my favorite renditions of the hymn “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” sung by Lauryn Hill and Tanya Blount. In the film, Hill's character Rita Louise Watson and Blount's character sing the song together during a quiet moment, when Rita is processing whether or not to continue with her music.
This hymn is one of the songs I find myself singing in moments when I need to be reminded of whose I am, when I need to know that I am cared for—one of the songs that I sing to encourage myself.
When I think of hymns that bless me, I research who wrote them and how they were inspired. The lyrics to His Eye Is on the Sparrow were written in 1905 by Civilla Durfee Holden Martin, a Canadian-American who wrote many hymns and gospel songs.
The theme of the song is inspired by the words of David in Psalm 32:8: "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8), and Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew: "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" (Matthew 6:26), and "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Matthew 10:29–31).
But what touched me deeper was the story of the people who inspired the writer. Civilla shared that she and her husband (who was a Disciples of Christ minister) had been visiting close friends—Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle.
She wrote:
“Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship with a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God.”
Mrs. Doolittle had been confined to bed for nearly twenty years, and her husband, who had a severe disability, used a wheelchair to get to and from work. Despite their physical challenges, they radiated joy and lived lives filled with faith, bringing encouragement to everyone who knew them.
During one of their visits, Civilla’s husband asked them the secret to their positive outlook.
Mrs. Doolittle responded with quiet confidence: “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.”