How long has it been that you’ve been embraced by God? How long has it been that you’ve been read by the Word? How long has it been that you’ve been home to God? God misses you. God is dying to see you. God is waiting for you to return to him!

Do you remember the parables in Luke 15?
99 sheep and 1 lost and how the shepherd did everything to find the lost one? And how he rejoiced when he found it!
A woman who had 10 coins and after losing one searched for it until she found it. And how she rejoiced when she found it!
A father and two sons. The younger son took off with his inheritance and after spending everything crawled back to his father asking forgiveness. And how the father rejoiced when he came back home!
The stories are about God and how he misses us. How he rejoices when we go back to him!

It doesn’t matter how we get lost.
We might wander away like sheep, without thinking of consequences of our choices, get lost through stupidity, ignorance and happenstance.
We might get lost through carelessness of others. We might have an ignorant parent, a misleading friend or wrong advice and we end up lost.
We might get lost through our own rebellion, too, like the prodigal son.

No matter what the reason why we get lost we are treated the same. God misses us. God wants us to turn back to him. God wants us to embrace us with his grace. It is our turn to acknowledge that we are lost, no matter what the reason is. We might not be rebellious but we do wander off far too easily. We get distracted by other voices, by the better-looking grass on the other side of the fence. Or by the well-meaning but ill-advising friends and family. Yet, the way is only found in Jesus. The truth is only found in Jesus. The life is only found in Jesus. God loves us and is waiting for us to return to him. O, how he will rejoice when he embraces us! Let’s go!

 

Gracious God,
We run to you and beg your forgiveness!
We were lost and but now we are found!
Thank you for searching for us!
Thank you for loving us so much!
Thank you for sending us the Way back to you!
Embrace us with your grace!
Heal our wounds, nourish our souls!
Enable us to always hear your voice.
Equip us to help others to find their way to you!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How were you lost and found again?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you listen to God’s guidance and follow the Shepherd!

Return of the Prodigal Son by Lenonello Spada via Wikimedia.