by Victoria Heinecke

Lost, perhaps. Not forgotten.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“He remembers his covenant forever,
    the promise he made, for a thousand generations,”
Psalm 105:8 New International Version (NIV)

Someone left a water bottle at the playground. A passer-by, thinking its owner might return for it, set it on a fence post.

Perhaps it was found, or perhaps it was eventually discarded.

If you’ve been asking more questions about God this past year, you may feel lost and alone. Does anyone know I’m here? Does anyone even care?

“I have strayed like a lost sheep.
    Seek your servant,
    for I have not forgotten your commands.“
Psalm 119:176 NIV

Church communities have worked tirelessly to keep people connected these past 18 months. They have been working to remain open for worship, as well as offering online fellowship opportunities. Yet, some Christians may still feel disconnected.

In a way, we can feel like an abandoned water bottle.

“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.”
John 10:14-15 NIV

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11); he knows every one of us by name, he knows where we are and seeks us when we get lost. He will never leave us, alone, on a fence post.

Seeking and finding one another is relational. Unlike the water bottle, which remains on the fence post until someone else acts on it, we are in a constant, fluid relationship with Christ. Each is constantly seeking and finding the other.

“‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord,”
Jeremiah 29:13-14a NIV

In those times when we feel lost, we can turn our hearts and our eyes towards God and find that he is always there. He hears our prayers and our cries for help, just as a shepherd hears the bleating call of a lost sheep. Rest in the assurance, even during difficult times, that he will find you.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado