So he told them this parable, “What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them, does not leave 99 in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.”
Luke 15:3-7 HCSB
As a child, I used to like to do something that made my mom very angry. You see, my mom has always loved to shop. I can remember going to department stores and hiding amongst the clothes racks. My little game of hide and seek was nerve wracking to my mom and after a few times of getting in trouble, I didn’t play it quite so often. I wasn’t a child to wander far from my mom, but there were times when I would get bored while she was shopping. There were a few times when something would grab my attention and I would wander. It made my mom very nervous and had a me a little rattled as well. We live in a small town and are related to most people around us. My mom had cousins that worked at the department stores. My dad’s brother was a butcher at our local A and P. So, when I wandered, I was usually found by a family member. I remember once, my mom had me in the grocery cart and left the cart at the end of the aisle while she stepped a few steps away to get something. My uncle dashed out from behind the mirrored glass in the meat department, snatched me out of the buggy and brought me behind the glass. We watched as my mom frantically searched for me. He thought this was funny, but my mom wasn’t so amused. He only let her go for a minute before he brought me back out to her.
When we lose something, it makes us frantic, right? If it’s something we really need, we may spend hours looking for it, trying to retrace our steps. What truly amazes me is that God doesn’t need us. Think about it, we desperately need Him. But he wants us. He wants us to lead good, peaceful, joyful lives and we can only do that with Him. He wants to shower us with blessings when we obey Him. He wants us to trust Him. But we foolishly stray for Him and He is the one trying to get us back. It really makes no sense for us to do this when you think about it.
When we wander from God, we set ourselves up for a whole slew of problems. First and foremost, we must choose to live under His protection. He doesn’t force us to live under His protection, we must choose this. (Psalm 91:1-2). Secondly, when choose to love Him and do things His way, He works all things out for our good (Romans 8:28). Thirdly, He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He doesn’t want us to merely exist and get by, He wants us to thrive and have life more abundantly (John 10:10).
Now, perhaps I can explain it this way. See, God wants to put you up in this mansion on the hill. He wants you to live in an abundance of peace and joy. He wants you to have the good life and then He wants to bring you to heaven where it is even better. Down here we may suffer and experience our share of sadness and pain, but we know that God’s got our back.
But when we choose to wander from Him, then we open the door for the devil. We separate ourselves from God through our sinful behavior (Isaiah 59:2). It brings us down a path that we don’t want to travel, trust me my friend, I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt. It’s like we give up the safety and comfort of that mansion to live homeless in the streets.
Now why would we ever wander away from God? Well, I can only speak for myself, but in my case, the devil made the grass look greener on the other side. The devil makes sin look good and fun and fulfilling. But, unfortunately, it’s just the opposite. Oh it’s fun for a little while, but when you crash you crash hard.
When we wander from God we are wandering away from a loving father. We are separating ourselves from the very One that loves us more than we can ever fathom. When we wander from God, we are entering dangerous territory that has the potential to destroy us if we are not careful (Romans 1:24).
If you are lost and wandering, God is searching for you. He wants to pick you up on His shoulders and bring you home. We were created to be in fellowship with God. When we wander from Him, things get out of whack because we are not where we are meant to be, which is in His loving embrace. If you feel lost and alone, know that God is right there. Know that He wants to bring you back into the safety of his refuge. Know that He waits for you with open arms. Call out to Him, He will rescue you. You have not wandered so far that God cannot reach you. Turn to Him today and trust in Him to bring you to safety and to a life filled with peace and joy.
Have a great day!