Lost and Found

" 'But we had to celebrate
and be glad,
because this brother of yours was dead
and is alive again;
he was lost and is found.' "
(Luke 15:32)
My family and I live in a large, wooded neighborhood of about 2000 acres, including approximately 400 acres of protected wetlands. It is not unusual to see various forms of wildlife, and, a few days ago, as my daughter and I drove home from school, we saw three deer on the side of the road. I slowed down (even less than the 25-mile-per-hour speed limit!) so that Katy and I could take a better look at them (and so I could quickly react should they decide to dart in front of our car!).

They were so beautiful; one was larger and two were smaller, so I assumed that it was a doe with her fawns. Suddenly, something startled them, and the mother and one of her babies ran towards the creek. The other baby, perhaps frightened and disoriented, ran in the opposite direction ... across the road and into the woods.

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed. "The momma has lost one of her babies!"

My pre-teen daughter, who has a soft heart that currently--and, hopefully, temporarily--beats a little stoicly, all but rolled her eyes at me, but, as I pulled over the side of the road, she turned and looked with me through the back windshield of our car. As I silently grieved for the lost fawn, I hoped that she would be reunited with her family before she came to harm.

As I sat neutralized on the side of the road, pondering the lost fawn's fate, the mother (and the fawn that stayed with her) ran back up from the creek, across the road, and into the woods ... presumably to search for her lost baby.

I don't know what happened after that, but I have hope that the family was reunited. Can you just imagine the joy of the mother finding her lost baby ... and the joy of the lost baby seeing her mother again?

My heart swelled as I marveled at the doe's instinct to go after her lost fawn, even though she had another safely with her, and I thought of Jesus' Parable of the Lost Sheep:

" 'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.' "
(Luke 15:4-7)

In Matthew's parallel account of this parable, Jesus concludes:

"In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."
(Matthew 18:14)

Oh, beloved! What an incredible Truth! Our Father in heaven, Who uniquely and purposefully created each and every one of us (reference Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:13, Isaiah 45:12, Jeremiah 1:5, Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 2:10, Revelation 4:11), does not want to lose a single one of us! No matter how many of us are safely within His fold, He constantly seeks those who are lost.

" 'For the Son of Man came to seek
and to save what was lost.' "
(Luke 19:10)

In the ultimate seek-and-rescue mission, God the Father sent His Son, "... our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep" (reference Hebrews 13:20) to literally lay down His life for all of His children.

" 'I tell you the Truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the Shepherd of His sheep. The watchman opens the gate for Him, and the sheep listen to His voice. He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought out all His own, He goes on ahead of them, and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.' Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what He was telling them. 'I tell you the Truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the Gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have Life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me--just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father--and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to My voice, and there shall be one flock and one Shepherd. The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.' "
(John 10:1-18)

My favorite hymn is "Amazing Grace", composed by John Newton between 1760 and 1770. I sing it privately to the Lord all the time in my own little praise and worship offering to Him. Here are the lyrics of the original hymn:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

And, in a true testimony to the timelessness of the hymn, here is a modern rendition by Chris Tomlin:



Precious Father, I praise You for Your amazing grace! Thank You for seeking Your lost children and for tirelessly searching for those who have strayed. May we repent of our waywardness (reference Jeremiah 31:19), and may we never forget Your commands and your faithfulness (reference Psalm 119:76). Thank You for sending Your son, Jesus Christ, Who has compassion upon Your children who are "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36; see also Mark 6:34). And, it is in the name of Jesus Christ--my Lord, Savior, and Good Shepherd--that I pray. Amen.

" 'For this is what
the Sovereign LORD says:
I Myself will search for My sheep
and look after them.
As a shepherd looks after
his scattered flock
when he is with them,
so will I look after my sheep.
I will rescue them from all the places
where they were scattered
on a day of clouds and darkness.
I will bring them out from the nations
and gather them from the countries,
and I will bring them into their own land.
I will pasture them
on the mountains of Israel,
in the ravines and in all the settlements
in the land.
I will tend them in a good pasture,
and the mountain heights of Israel
will be their grazing land.
There they will lie down
in good grazing land,
and there they will feed in a rich pasture
on the mountains of Israel.
I Myself will tend My sheep
and have them lie down,'
declares the Sovereign LORD.
'I will search for the lost
and bring back the strays.
I will bind up the injured
and strengthen the weak,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy.
I will shepherd the flock with justice.' "

(Ezekiel 34:11-16)

How can I encourage and pray for you today? Please let me know by clicking on "Sparks Share" at the end of today's reflection, and scroll down to the "Comments" box. You may choose to comment anonymously, if you prefer. Feel free to leave your praises and insights as well!

If this topic sparked your interest, see also ...

• "In the Shadow of His Wings"

Copyright 2008. Kathryn B. Wells. All Rights Reserved.