Last Friday, I told the story of my disappearing pet turtles, comparing this to the story of the lost coin in Luke 15:8-10, for neither the turtles nor the coin knew they were lost, nor were they particularly impressed that someone was looking for them. This represents one class of the spiritually lost. The good news is, even if they don’t know they are lost and don’t care that God is seeking them, He DOES seek them until the day they die, and our best course of action is to keep praying for our lost loved ones, and to continue being good representatives of Christ.

I had my lost—and found!—turtles until I went away to school, at which time I had to rehome them. It hurt my heart to do so, but I told myself then that I would get another pet as soon as I was in a place where I could have one. And I did. The day I graduated from my master’s program, I got a kitten.

I had always loved Siamese cats, and when the cat belonging to the neighbor who lived in the apartment below me had a litter 2 months before my graduation date, I let my neighbor know that I wanted one of those kittens. Unfortunately they had all been spoken for already, except for this one little female. When she was a just starting to learn to walk, my neighbour’s son accidentally hit her with his skateboard. As a result, her hips didn’t work right.

At this point, I didn’t care if she could walk properly or not. I was finally in the place in life when I could have a pet of my own choosing. I wanted that Siamese kitten, and it was the best day of my life when she was finally released to me.

I named her Princess, and she quickly became my best buddy. She didn’t take too kindly to my wife moving in. She was stealing “her” master; but eventually she learned to tolerate her “competition”.

One day, when Princess was about 17 years old, she escaped from the house and just—disappeared! I was devastated! My darling Princess was gone!

Luke 15:1-7 tells the story of a lost sheep: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Vs 4 NIV). That was me with my Princess! I left behind our other pets, and we had several others at this point, to go out and seek my kitty! I looked high and low, I talked to all the neighbours, I even put up notices around the neighbourhood about the missing cat. I never stop looking for her.

The lost sheep is eventually found: “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.” (Vs. 5, 6a NIV). We have all seen artists’ renditions of this: The sheep is tangled in briars and needs to be rescued, etc. Of course, this isn’t included in the Biblical story, but I think it is clear that the sheep probably knows it is lost. Sheep are, after all, animals that like to live in a herd and become anxious when they are away from their group. And as such, the sheep is likely very grateful that the Shepherd goes out and seeks it.

This exactly represents my princess. About a week after she disappeared, someone several blocks over, who had seen one of my “missing cat” notices, called to say there was a stray Siamese hanging around her home asking for food. I drove over immediately, and I was overjoyed that it was, indeed, my Princess. Princess was also very glad to see me. Just like the missing sheep, she hadn’t enjoyed her lost time at all! All she wanted was to be back home! You can imagine how happy I was to have my Princess back. In the same way, the Bible says, “Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” (Vs. 6b NIV)

The lost sheep—and my lost cat—represent a different kind of the spiritually lost. There are those who have know what it is like to be part of God’s family, but due to circumstances outside of their control, they have strayed. The important thing is this: God leaves behind the rest of the sheep to go out and seek the lost one, and when He finds him or her, there is great rejoicing: “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.” (Vs. 7 NIV)!

Are you that lost sheep? Just know that God will go to any length to find you, and when He does, there will be great rejoicing in Heaven! Would you like to respond to God now? If so, why not consider answering the Saviour’s Call! Don’t wait, do it today!

Perhaps you are someone who has already returned to God, but you know someone close to you who has become a lost sheep. Keep reaching out to that person. Keep loving them and praying for them, ever knowing that God will never stop seeking them until they are safely back in the fold!

There is one more kind of spiritually lost soul… Please join us next Friday for the final part of this devotional series: “The Case of the Missing Blue-Headed Pionus: Seeking the Lost, Part 3.”

Inspired by Rob Chaffart
Founder, Answers2Prayer Ministries

(To assess the entire “Seeking the Lost” devotional series, please click here!)