Lost And Found

Lost And Found

I will search for my lost ones who strayed away, and I will bring them safely home again. I will bandage the injured and strengthen the weak. But I will destroy those who are fat and powerful. I will feed them, yes—feed them justice! Ezekiel 34:16

Have you ever gotten lost? It can be a frightening experience. That’s why today’s verse is so reassuring. God searches for the lost ones who stray and brings them safely home again. What a beautiful promise!

With GPS on our smartphones, most of us don’t get lost as often as we may have in the past. As soon as we take a wrong turn, the GPS voice scolds us, automatically recalculating the route to our destination or telling us to turn around.

But there are some places where GPS doesn’t work or where the nearest cell tower may be out of range. That happened to me in Ireland when my smartphone wasn’t smart enough to communicate with the local system. Technically, I was off the grid.

In an effort to see something new, I had strayed just far enough away from where we were staying that I didn’t recognize any landmarks. In addition, driving on the opposite side of the road disrupted my usual sense of direction. Soon, I had to admit that I was lost and confused. I needed to turn around and get back on the main road to the City Centre.

The right thing to do would have been to stop and ask directions, but I was in a foreign land, and I wasn’t sure if it was safe. So I just kept driving. Eventually, my random turns led me to a sign that pointed toward Newcastle. From there, I knew how to get back.

Have you ever felt so lost that all you could do was go around in circles? Life sometimes becomes a big roundabout going in the wrong direction. That’s what happened to me spiritually when I was an atheist. Fortunately, what worked for me in Ireland also worked to get my life back on track: I looked up, and a sign from God pointed me in the direction I should go.

TODAY’S RX

When you get lost, stop and pray, and be ready to follow the signs that point the way home.

Father, I confess that I’m often distracted by things of this world and lose sight of you. Thank you for not giving up on me, but going to great lengths to steer me back and point me in the right direction.