What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, Rejoices with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. ~LUKE 15:4-7
Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever felt like your world was spinning out of control? Have you ever felt like you just could not make it? Have you ever felt like there was no one you could turn to or trust?
As we look at this week's scripture, let us imagine the sheep as a child - or us - being lost and unable to find his Shepherd, his pack, or his way home. This one sheep did not know how to get back on the right path and had no clue he could be attacked by a predator. This sheep was wandering through the pastures off the path that was chosen for him. He was lost! I imagine this sheep is much like us and he probably was unaware of the fact that he was aimlessly wandering around lost. We can confess that we tend to veer off our path when trouble comes into our lives. We can admit we tend to feel all alone and helpless as if there is no hope for us. We can heal when we acknowledge how the weight of the world makes us forget we have a place, we belong and we matter.
My friends, we can have peace, comfort, joy, and blessed assurance in our hearts and minds because when we stray when we lose track of who we are, and when we walk off the path to run our race, we must know God is waiting for us to hear Him call our name and more importantly, for US to look up and cry out “Father God!” Because like this sheep, we are being sought after too!
Matthew 18:11 says, “for the son of man is come to save that which was lost.” When we look at the word ‘lost’, it means ruined; destroyed not to be found, missing; having wandered astray; not gained or won. Friends, we can be lost and not know our condition, because when we are doing just enough to get by, as this sheep, we believe everything is good. We must know that we are not alone.
Friends you don’t have to take my word because Good News is in this familiar scripture! Look at how the shepherd must have felt after losing one of his sheep. This sheep was an animal he had watched grow from birth and even before birth. It was an animal that he fed, cared for, and protected day in and day out. Although the shepherd had many more sheep to look after, he still cared about the one that was lost. The scripture says that the shepherd was so happy, he called all his friends and neighbors saying, rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost. We need to understand and believe that when one of God’s children - one of us - is found, all of heaven rejoices and our heavenly Father God is pleased! Psalm 91:11 says for he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. The word also tells us that he will never leave us or forsake us. When we are ‘feeling’ lost and all alone, we have an assurance that God is still there to protect us and guide us back in the right direction. God knows that there will be times for us when we will stray away from the pack or wander off for greener pastures like this sheep. But because we have assurance in God’s Word, we do not have to be afraid, lose our cool, or get it ‘twisted’, because we read God cares about all of his lost children. God loves us so much proof is written in John 3:16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
We can rejoice today that the God we serve can find us no matter where we find ourselves! We can praise God because for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God (Eph.2:8). What a gift for our Mighty God to give his lost children! It is comforting knowing that when we are lost, God is seeking to save us. Now unto him, that can keep you from falling and present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. (Jude 1:24) It’s good to know that we don’t have to stay lost because the God we serve wants to save us. We must spread the word today and always, that no one has to stay lost when we can let the Lord have His way in our life. When we can submit and let God lead us to our green pastures, guiding our footsteps, no longer lost, but found. Amen.
In His Service With Love,
The Rev
Reverend D.A. Whitney is the Founding Partner of Blessed 4 Life Ministries (B4LM), host of “Let’s Be Blunt With The Rev” and co-host of “Chatting With The Whitney’s” on Impact Radio USA @ https://pod.co/blessed-4-life-ministries The Rev is the author of several books including “Overcoming Principalities”. Contact The Rev at www.blessed4lifeministries.com or at blessed4lifeministries@gmail.com