S29P13 – Who we were: lost
Mt. 18:12-14
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them gets lost, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountain and go in search of the one that is lost? And if it turns out that he finds it, I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not get lost. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.”
One of the worst feelings we can have is that we are going through life simply floundering about without an aim and without a purpose. We spend years trying to create a niche for ourselves in this world and striving to achieve things that give our lives direction. The goal is always to be on our way somewhere. We do not hike through the woods without an end point in mind. If you have ever gotten lost in the wilderness, you know how it feels to be unsure of how, when or if you will get to your endpoint. I have been lost by myself, and I have been lost with others, and I can tell you that the feeling of insecurity is the same in both instances. It is unnerving and uncomfortable not being sure of where you are and where you are going. But that was the state we were in before Jesus Christ.
When we do not know Jesus, we simply wander through life without any valuable aim. We search for things to give us purpose and value, but they are hollow and temporary. We try to surround ourselves with people who tell us how important we are and make us feel like we have a home somewhere, but this does not satisfy. Our prior state of being lost in a spiritual wilderness is just like being lost in a physical one. Having lost our bearings and not knowing how or when we will get to a safe place, we could be with no one or a thousand people and probably feel the same way. Being lost in numbers is still being lost. The only relief comes from finding your way and knowing where you are. Today’s scripture gives us the words of Jesus Christ regarding children, and each of us was a child at one time. We are still God’s children today. He desires that none of us would remain lost.
Oh how glorious it would be that all the sheep would find their Shepherd, the one who protects them and leads them. Oh, that each person who is lost and insecure, roaming about the world without a true home, would find a home in the one true God. The one who formed us with his hands and breathed life into us with his breath desires that we find ourselves in him. He is not hiding, but he is revealed in so many things that we experience. Even those who are deaf, dumb and blind can experience the existence of God beyond any doubt. He reveals himself to each one of us. We might start out lost, but there is no excuse for remaining in that state. Father, thank You for revealing yourself to us and calling us home to You, and use us to help others become found as well.