For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

 

Lost things are an annoyance and a true hassle, for they are always lost at the worst possible time. When you have just enough time left to get to that important appointment, the car keys become shy; when the curtain goes up on the play soon, the tickets go on vacation. When you need or desire to be with them most, some people become invisible. The list can go on and on, but the results are much the same. We become irritated, annoyed, frustrated, angry, sad, and discouraged. Still, if we want the thing or the person that we are looking for badly enough, we will keep looking until we find it.

 

Christ deals with us in much the same way. He has searched diligently, and He continues the hunt for us to the very ends of the earth and beyond. He gave up His life for us, and He even went into Hell in order to destroy its hold on death for our sakes. God loves every person; for, each individual is special and precious to Him. God wants each of us to know Him in a close, life altering, and eternal way. When we wander far away from Him, the Lord comes looking. If we have been listening to the voice of evil, the Spirit of Christ speaks to our hearts with absolute clarity. Whatever circumstances or situations we are involved in, Christ is there to set us free, to set us right, and to send us out to live well.

 

The Lord uses every tool at His disposal to conduct the search, too. He speaks through His word, the Spirit calls to our hearts, people are brought into our lives to love us and to share enduring truth, and all of Creation resonates with the voice of God as He sings His love song to all people. We just need to listen, give up on hiding, stop our escapist feet, and let Christ in. This is vitally true for people who haven’t allowed Him into their lives, and it is also true for all of us at times in the course of our lives. What is hidden, why are you running, and aren’t you tired from the effort? Today is the day to stop the futile race and to call out to Christ, “Here I am, I surrender to the relentless love of your pursuit.”