Seeker

Seeker

When you played hide-and-seek growing up, did you prefer to be the hider or the seeker? I will confess, I hated being the seeker because when you were the seeker, you were all alone. Wandering around lonely in the woods, between houses, or down hallways. Seeking was lonely, tiring, scary, and all-around not my favorite.

Today at Best Week Ever, we are learning how Jesus is the seeker of you and me. He will go to great lengths to find you. Jesus tells this story to help us see how far He will go for us!

There was a shepherd who had 100 sheep. He loved these sheep. Day and night, he cared for them. He named them and knew their little quirks. Each evening, as the sun was going down, he found a safe place for them to sleep, and as they settled down, he would count the sheep: 1, 2, 3…97, 98, 99 — where is 100? He recounted…99 again! Someone was missing!

Now, if it was just a stick or flowers he picked, he would not have cared. But this sheep — he loved this sheep — so he set off looking for the one lost sheep.

His search would begin around dusk and continue into the night as the wolves prowled. Through lonely paths and among noises creaking in the dark, it would be easy for him to get lost, twist an ankle, or stumble upon countless other problems. But he was willing to risk all of this danger in order to find the sheep. He would not stop looking until he found it!

Then, when he found it, most likely injured, he carried it back to the flock to rest and be taken care of.

Luke 15:3-6 says:

“Then Jesus told them this story: ‘Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but he loses 1 of them. Then he will leave the other 99 sheep alone and go out and look for the lost sheep. The man will keep on searching for the lost sheep until he finds it. And when he finds it, the man is very happy. He puts it on his shoulders and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, “Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!”’”

God Almighty seeks you.

He desires relationship with you.

He wants to bring you into His people, the family He will spend eternity with.

In fact, God pursues all people because He loves all people deeply.

While we are helping the kids of Best Week Ever understand God’s love and desire for them, this is something you and I as grown-ups need to understand as well.

Do I believe God loves me enough to seek me? To find me in the mess I am in and carry me to safety? Do I believe that I am worth that much to God?

Hint: Jesus sure says so.