Do you know the joy of the 99?

Hello, my friend, and welcome to another “random thought from Grant during his journey with Jesus.”

There are certain scriptures in the Bible that have often caused me to ask questions deep within my own soul. They’re the kind of questions that I don't really share with anybody else because, truthfully, I'm not exactly sure how they would take them.

One of these passages is in Matthew 18:12-14. It says, "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine who did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish." (Matthew 18:12-14, NIV)

To be truthful, I've struggled with this scripture for a long time because I place myself among the 99, and I can't, for the life of me, figure out why God would leave me unprotected on a hillside to go after a rebel sheep.

I mean, after all, as one of the 99, I have been faithful. I stayed close to the Shepherd; I didn't wander off. Therefore, I think I should be rewarded with the presence of my Shepherd at all times! Stay with me, this will all make sense in a moment.

It's easy to get into the wrong mindset when it comes to the 99. If you need a little more information on that, you may want to check out the story of the older brother in the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32).

Here is my thought for today: The joy of the 99 comes from the simple truth that we can NEVER, EVER, forget that at one point, we were the ONE that Jesus pursued.

When we have that attitude, we can celebrate the fact that just as God came after us, He went to rescue one more and bring them safely home.

My friend, never forget the fact that at one point in your life, the God of creation—who came to seek and save the lost—came after you. You have no idea what He may have had to leave behind in order to pursue you in your worst moment, but the fact that He wanted to bring you home should still be cause for celebration, not only in your life, but in the lives of others.

Today, I'd like to challenge you to think of one person that you know is far from God, and who needs a Good Shepherd to come looking for them.

Let's take a moment and pray for them together.

Jesus, you know the ones who are safely home, and you know the ones who are wandering far away. Lord, remind us again, like you said to the prophet Isaiah, "All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [being Jesus] the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6, ESV). Lord, thank you for coming after us. And I pray in Jesus' name that you would go after the person my friend is thinking about right now. Thank you for your heart to pursue all those who've wandered away.

Never forget, my friend, you are a miracle.