When the sheep strays away, the shepherd searches for it. Read Luke 15:1-7. There are many ways and reasons that a sheep may go astray. Sometimes they are simply looking for something to eat or drink. Sometimes a sheep might get spooked by something and run away from the flock. The only time a sheep is lost is when it is so far from the shepherd that it can’t hear his or her voice. Jesus identified himself as the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep. Like sheep, we are prone to wander. Sometimes we give in to temptation and break one of God’s commandments. When we do, Jesus comes looking for us, forgives us, and walks us back to the flock. Sometimes we are hurt and in our hurting we run from God. When we do, Jesus comes looking for us, heals our hurts, and walks us back to the flock. Sometimes our spirits are crushed with unbearable grief. When that happens, Jesus comes to us, comforts us, and walks us back to the flock. Robert Robinson entered the world in 1735 in Suffolk, England; his childhood marked by hardship and loss. At the age of eight, he lost his father to death, leaving him and his mother to navigate the harsh realities of 18th-century poverty. With dreams of education dashed against the rocks of financial necessity, young Robert found himself apprenticed to a London barber at fourteen.1
Robert was wandering the city streets of Suffolk, causing mischief regularly. One day, he and his buddies were harassing a gypsy when the gypsy looked at Robert and said, “You will see your children and grandchildren.” Something stirred within him. When he later heard the preaching of George Whitefield. He gave his life to Jesus and would eventually pen the hymn, “Come Thou Fount.” We may take a 1,000 steps away from Jesus, but when we turn around, we are only one step away from returning to Jesus. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even until the end of the age.” What is true for you is true for all people. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we are all part of his flock. Let’s follow Jesus together and be sure to stay close enough to hear the voice of Jesus calling us back to him. Let’s let Robert’s third verse of Come Thou Fount be our prayer for today.
Lord Jesus, “O to grace, how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart; O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.” Amen.
1The Story behind O Come Thou Fount, by Don Chapman
