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.
“Don’t let me let you go” by Thunderstorm Artis
Have you ever noticed that some love songs could be sung to God, and some Christian songs could be sung to a loved one? We must be careful when we are listening to music to hone in on what our words mean, not just what fits the melody.
Today’s song is a love song between a husband and wife. It reveals the difficulty that marriage and long-term relationships go through. There are seasons of unbridled affection and undesired association. There are moments of drawing close and drifting apart. This song taps into those moments and unexpectedly gives us words that could be a great prayer:
Don’t Let Me Let You Go by Thunderstorm Artis
This is a love that’s worth saving
My flag is up and it’s waving
I’m so foolish I know
So don’t let me let you go
I can’t take back all the words that I said
I know I hurt you
But I don’t wanna live through this life with regrets
Or without you
As I listen to this song, I am brought to a place of honest confession both with my wife and with my God. This is a love worth saving, so I surrender my argument, my way, and my “good enough.” I am so foolish, prone to wander and leave the one/One I love.
So I invite you to pray today: God, don’t let me let you go!
There are pushes and pulls seeking to loosen our grip on the One who saves us. God, don’t let me let you go!
I am tempted and tired. God, don’t let me let you go!
I am weary and worried. God, don’t let me let you go!
I am doubting and discouraged. God, don’t let me let you go!
Jude 24–25
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
God, don’t let me let you go!
Thanks be to God that our salvation rests not on the strength of our Grip, but on the sureness of his grip on us!
Youtube Video
Broken by Joshua Kagen
Broken by Joshua Kagen is a gut-wrenching song expressing the depression of a lonely, heartbroken, and hurting man. He is broken, though he says, “I’m fine.” He is hurting, but he shows no signs.
The second verse has the lines that stood out most to me:
I'm lonely, it's been so long
Since I felt love, to smile, felt strong
And what can I do when I'm not friends with my reflection?
Maybe you know this place of loneliness and sadness. Maybe you can’t remember the last time you were happy or even smiled.
Or maybe you are like that last line — not friends with your reflection. Maybe you are so disappointed with where you are in life that you wonder if it is even worth it.
What do we do in these times?
The chorus of the song offers an option, but it falls short. The chorus calls for someone to “pull me out the fire” and “save me” like they did before. There is help found in friends and even counseling that can combat the unbearable weight of mental illness, but even our best earthly help cannot solve our deepest problems.
Rather than looking only to someone — a spouse, friend, or parent — or something — a job, substance, or experience — to save us, we must look to the One who made us and can heal us. The Creator of the world is the Sustainer of the world. The miracle worker in the Bible has not lost his power today. We must turn to God in these moments of anguish and despair, for he hears, helps, and heals.
I want to end by offering a verse to combat that line about hating our own reflection:
Psalm 139:14
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
God made you. In your mother’s womb, he formed your frame, your mind, and your disposition. God does not mess up. Everything God makes is good. God made you as you are for a purpose. You are not a lapse in creative perfection, a gaffe in good purposes, or an aberration among God’s children.
God made you, knows you, loves you, and has not abandoned his purpose for you.
If you are struggling with depression, sadness, loneliness, self-harm, or suicidal thoughts, let this be your sign to reach out for help. Responding to this email goes only to me, and I would like to help you on the journey toward mental, physical, and spiritual healing.
Disclaimer: If you feel like you may harm yourself or cannot stay safe, please reach out immediately to someone near you or call/text 988 for immediate help.
YOUTUBE VIDEO
“Mom and Dad” by Darren Kiely
In the song Mom and Dad by Darren Kiely, the listener is brought into the story of a man who struggled from childhood through adolescence. There is a sense that much pain, sorrow, and trouble were brought upon the parents because of the child. Many of us can relate to this.
As the song continues, the son wonders aloud if his parents questioned their choices, doubted their decisions, and were often heartbroken. While the song starts low, the chorus brings us to a joyful crescendo as their hard work has made a difference. “See how I have grown from that strife” reveals that good is coming around and growth has been experienced.
It is a beautiful song, but the following lyrics are what truly stand out to me:
And in the dark those silent evenings
When I spoke, did you hear fight?
And I know you cried, you spoke in secret
You prayed with all your might
Without relent, you never weakened
You held me up each time
If you are a parent, I bet you have experienced the silence, confrontation, tearful prayers, and unrelenting love toward your child. I know I have. My son can make me as angry as anyone in the world, but he can also bring out love in me in a deeper way than nearly anyone else in the world.
Hear these final words:
And I know that you felt worthless
But each word you spoke held purpose
If you questioned were you worthless
Look at me
There is hope. Even when we feel ignored, we are being heard. Even when we feel like we are smothering, love is being received. Even when we say “I love you” too much, it is better than not enough.
Let me end this devotion with two encouragements:
If you are a parent, don’t give up. Keep loving even when it is hard and when it hurts. Be present. Be gracious. Be merciful. Be the hands of God embracing your child!
Whether or not you had that kind of love from a parent, you are loved in this way by your heavenly Father. He never stops, never gives up, and never runs out of love for you. He seeks you, helps you, and desires you.
Luke 15:20, 24 (The Prodigal Son)
And [the wayward son] arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him…
“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to celebrate.
YOUTUBE VIIDEO
Better is the End by Tophouse
A few months back, I stumbled upon this group of guys from Montana who are folk, bluegrass, pop, and rock. Outside of this weird combination of genres, I could tell before ever learning more about these guys that they were Christians simply from the purpose and expressions of their lyrics. They describe their music this way: “We thought we'd like to give a little hope and hopefully cause some self-reflection as well.”
Today’s Lyric is from Better Is the End by Tophouse:
Like a stream, into a riverbed
Ocean's round the bend
How better is the end…
If you stick it out you'll find
That better is the end
Like a faith, new when you began
The promise is ahead
How better is the end
Verses:
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Sometimes it looks like all we are doing is small, mundane things. Trivial. Routine. Insignificant in the grand scheme of life. But did you know those moments of investment now can have great dividends later? In Christ, no act of faithfulness is wasted, and no suffering is final.
We do not know the impact we will have in this life, but we do know the impact of having Jesus. Our life may feel like a stream meandering along quietly out of sight, but our faith in the King of Kings means that we will not simply end. We have hope. We are connected to something bigger, greater, and better!
Better Is the End is a reminder, like those mentioned in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, to focus on the better country. Keep perspective that this world is broken, but the next is perfect. This world has suffering and sin; that world to come has God and goodness.
Better is the end is the theme of our Christian walk. No matter how challenging today is, we can proclaim: Better is the end!