Lost and Found

Luke 15

There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

What does it mean to be lost?  Last summer as I was visiting my parents I went running in the woods on an unmarked logging trail. As I went deeper and deeper into the woods, the inevitable happened...I began to lose my bearings and became more and more lost. It is a scary and helpless feeling to be lost; when you don't know which way to go or how to get out. You cannot get yourself un-lost, someone needs to rescue you. I eventually found my way out the woods that day, but there are many people who are spiritually lost who cannot find their way. 

To be found implies that a person needs help to get un-lost. If you find your own way out you do not need to be found, but needed more time. Spiritually, many of us prefer to find our own way out. Self-help books and a culture which glorifies personal independence lead us to believe that needing help is a sign of weakness. But our self-reliance is an illusion which leads us away from God's loving grace. We think we can do it on our own. We think we do not need God. What makes the prodigal son such an endearing story is that it exemplifies an absolute dependence on God's mercy. The son has no illusion about his situation. He has no hope but the mercy of his father. The older son however cannot see his father's graciousness, he only sees what he perceives as fairness; he only sees himself and what he feels he deserves. The older son is deluded and lost and cannot see that he too is completely dependent on his father's grace.

The truth is we are all lost without God. Some of us can just see this more clearly.