Less than a mile from my home, an elderly woman wandered off from her home on Saturday evening. Within a couple of hours an alert went out to the community. Police and even the national guard turned out in droves to search surrounding areas.
As
a helicopter circled overhead, we were encouraged to check our property for her.
As I walked the neighborhood that evening, like others I scanned back yards and
wooded areas to see if I could spot this dear one.
As
darkness drew on, the helicopter disappeared. I wondered who might still be out
there searching because I knew she had to be scared and confused. We turned on
our porch light to give her a path to our front door in case she wandered this
way and unlocked our cars in case she was too scared to knock but needed a
place to shelter because temperatures were falling and she probably wasn’t
dressed for the weather.
And
we prayed for an angel to accompany her to a safe person or place so she could
be restored to her family.
I
went to bed with a heavy heart that evening. I had found a video online of her
talking about sharing the gospel, and I knew she belonged to the Lord. I put
her in his hands.
“Suppose
one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them,” Jesus said In Luke 15. “Doesn’t
he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until
he finds it?”
That
evening, I had a renewed sense of the Lord’s concern for lost sheep. Years ago,
a friend and I discussed how there could be no tears in heaven if there were
those we loved on earth who still didn’t know him. My friend said, “I think
when we get to heaven, we’ll see the extraordinary lengths God is putting forth
to reach them, and that’s why we’ll have no tears.” I believe she was right
about that, and her statement has given me comfort through the years. In the
present situation, much was being done to find this woman.
God’s
heart is for the lost sheep whether physically or spiritually lost. He is working
in ways we can’t even imagine finding and bringing them home.
I
checked my phone throughout the night for updates about the lost woman, but
none came forth and in the morning around seven o’clock, another message came in that she was still missing. As I dressed for church, I prayed she would be
found that morning because older folks often take
medications which are life sustaining, and she probably had missed hers a couple
of times. As we left the neighborhood, we spotted police on horseback still
looking for her.
When
I brought her up as a prayer concern at church, someone said, “They just found
her thirty minutes ago.”
I
had been busy since arriving and hadn’t checked, but sure enough I found a
picture online of her being restored to her family surrounded by her smiling police
rescuers.
“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 15:5-7).
As
a neighbor, I was certainly rejoicing at a lost sheep being found as I’m sure others
were. Thank you Lord for all you’re doing on behalf of lost sheep.
If
you have a sheep that is lost in your circle, be reminded of the Lord’s care
for them and how he is at work. Take heart and be comforted by this as you
continue to pray for their restoration.