A Reflection On The Good Shepherd

When I need God’s heart for the lost

Jesus says that He is the Good Shepherd. And in Matthew 18, Jesus tells us that the Shepherd is zealously focused on restoring lost sheep. Our God is a seeking God. He will gladly leave behind the ninety-nine in their comfort and safety in order to track down a single misguided sheep. All heaven rejoices when that sheep is found (Luke 15:7, 10).

Do we want to align ourselves with God’s plan? Then we must single-mindedly pray for those who are lost. We must work to find them and to bring them into the Good Shepherd’s fold. We must give our resources toward this end. God does not rest as long as there are lost sheep, and neither can we.

Today there are more than four billion sheep outside the Shepherd’s fold. If we want to be in tune with God’s priorities, we must pray, give, train, tell, send, go—and never rest—as long as sheep are outside the fold.

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?

Matthew 18:12