“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?” Matthew 18:11-12
“Mom, can you find my Nerf gun bullets?” my nine-year old daughter asked me recently, full of gentleness, joy, and apparently, a newfound love of the hunt. Just two hours before, my seven-year old wanted to recruit my help in finding her beloved doll that had gone missing for the umpteenth time. The girls were frantic in their earnest attempts to find their lost items.
With a love much deeper than what children feel for their lost toys, God loves us with a passionate, proactive love that accepts us and receives us, just as we are. Even when we are like sheep who go to crooked or unsafe areas, God reaches out, delivers us from evil, and restores us back into the fold, right back to where we need to be.
Unlike my girls, who sometimes don’t recover their lost items, God always knows how to find us. In fact, He even knows when we are trying to hide from Him. Adam and Eve couldn’t hide in the Garden of Eden, and you and I can’t either. Even if we are having a difficult season, are angry with God, annoyed at Him, or not feeling His presence, He doesn’t shame us for losing our way. Instead, He rejoices over us when He finds us, and when we find Him. Let’s thank Him for that today, and listen for His call.
Dear God, I am so grateful for You. Apart from You, I can do no good thing. Thank You for looking for me, for calling out to me, and for allowing me to be Your child. I love You more than words can say. Amen.
Take Action
Listen to the hymn “Come Thou Fount
.” Meditate on the lyrics, “Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.” Is there an area in your life you’re hiding from God? Have you lost your way? Consider answering God’s call with confession and repentance, and return to Him who seeks you out.