He’s Looking for You
"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?" – Luke 15:4
It is easy to believe that if you have wandered, messed up, or drifted away from God, He has moved on without you. Maybe you have convinced yourself that your failure has made you forgettable. But Jesus tells a different story. In Luke 15, He shares three stories about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. And in every one, something valuable goes missing. But none of them stay lost.
What makes these stories so powerful is that the lost thing was not just noticed. It was missed. The shepherd did not say, “Well, at least I still have ninety-nine.” The woman did not say, “Nine coins is enough.” The father did not say, “One less son to worry about.” Each of them felt the absence. They ached for what was missing. That is how God feels about you. If you feel far from Him, you are not rejected. You are missed.
This is not about punishment or shame. It is about a love that notices when you are not home. A love that refuses to let you stay hidden in the dark or stuck in the mud. A love that searches until it finds. And when it does, it does not lecture. It throws a party. That is the heart of God.
You might feel forgotten, but you are not. You are not some nameless face in a crowd. God knows exactly where you are and what you are going through. He is not waiting for you to get it together before He welcomes you back. He is already on His way.
If you feel distant today, remember this. You are not just lost. You are deeply loved and urgently sought after. Heaven misses you when you are gone.
It is easy to believe that if you have wandered, messed up, or drifted away from God, He has moved on without you. Maybe you have convinced yourself that your failure has made you forgettable. But Jesus tells a different story. In Luke 15, He shares three stories about a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. And in every one, something valuable goes missing. But none of them stay lost.
What makes these stories so powerful is that the lost thing was not just noticed. It was missed. The shepherd did not say, “Well, at least I still have ninety-nine.” The woman did not say, “Nine coins is enough.” The father did not say, “One less son to worry about.” Each of them felt the absence. They ached for what was missing. That is how God feels about you. If you feel far from Him, you are not rejected. You are missed.
This is not about punishment or shame. It is about a love that notices when you are not home. A love that refuses to let you stay hidden in the dark or stuck in the mud. A love that searches until it finds. And when it does, it does not lecture. It throws a party. That is the heart of God.
You might feel forgotten, but you are not. You are not some nameless face in a crowd. God knows exactly where you are and what you are going through. He is not waiting for you to get it together before He welcomes you back. He is already on His way.
If you feel distant today, remember this. You are not just lost. You are deeply loved and urgently sought after. Heaven misses you when you are gone.
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1 Comment
AMEN. ? ?♾️Thank You Pastor Pete!