Matthew 18:12

“How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray.”

This verse has always served as an inspiration for several reasons. When I think of being lost, it reminds me of the time I wandered away from my mom in the grocery store. It would have been no big deal, except I was a small 5 year-old child with no hope of finding her on my own. Even now, at the age of thirty, I still have vivid remembrance of how it felt to be “lost.”

Spiritually we are lost without Jesus. He is our only ride home. He alone is our protection and caregiver. All others are out to steal, kill, and destroy me. That is what makes this promise so sweet. Jesus has promised to come looking for us! He even promised to search for us in the rugged or dangerous areas we aimlessly wander into among the “mountains.”

Also hidden in here is the thought that we are not lost in the crowd. Have you ever had 100 pennies and lost one? How hard did you look for it? If you are like me, you probably thought, “No big deal, it is just a penny.” Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus sees us to be of much more value? Even among the multitude of his sheep he knows if we are missing and it moves him with compassion to seek us out that we may be in his company once again.

Do you feel lost? Can you imagine the panic that Jesus feels? Don’t feel like the Lord does not care. Be encouraged to know that Jesus is on your trail that he might restore you to himself. He also promises to bring you back into the company of the rest of the sheep.