08/30/2026
You need to know this hymn: His Eye is on the Sparrow
This is such a sweet story and I am so excited to tell you!!!
It all started in the spring of 1905 when Civilla Martin and her husband, Walter, were visiting friends in Elmira, New York. Their hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle, were the kind of people who seemed to glow with quiet faith. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nearly 20 years, and her husband was a disabled man who ran his business from a wheelchair.
Civilla tells the story:
“One day my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s response was simple: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ was the outcome of that experience.”
She sat down that very night and wrote the lyrics to a hymn. She mailed it to Charles Gabriel the next day, and the melody we know today was born.
Decades later, during the Civil Rights movement, this hymn found new life as an anthem of hope and comfort, reminding those facing unthinkable trials that they were not alone.
I like to imagine Mrs. Doolittle, sitting by a window, watching the world pass by, still singing, still believing, still trusting in the same God who counts every feather and knows every heart.
I think that is so important to remember in this moment in time for us right now. HIs eye is on the sparrow. And I know He watches me. 💛
And we sell this lovely hymn on a tea towel, art print, a magnet, AND a bookmark!