A flock of sheep stood grazing in a green pasture as a gentle brook burbled nearby. One hundred sheep, to be exact. As the Good Shepherd inspected His herd, He noticed one was missing. He called its name time and again, but no sheep. He looked this way and that, but still no sheep. That sheep was precious to Him. It was worth the price of His own life. He left the ninety and nine in search of the lost sheep.
Up mountains, through valleys, there was nowhere He would not go to return the lost sheep to the fold. The sheep had been drawn away by the “lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life” (I John 2:16). It had been deceived and enticed. It had possibly been hurt by another sheep in the fold. Whatever the reason for its wandering, the Good Shepherd wanted His sheep returned. He called the sheep by name and did all He could to draw it back. He did not care what condition the sheep was now in after its wandering. If the sheep was found, He would rejoice, He and all His friends. He would pick it up, put it on His back, and carry it home.
When we pray for a lost sheep to return to the flock, to find a place of repentance, to find a place of forgiveness for those who have hurt them, to come to themselves, we can pray with confidence. We can be certain that when we intercede for a sheep that has gone astray, we are praying the will of God. Our Good Shepherd loves His sheep and is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).
In I Samuel 17:34-35, David tells King Saul, “Your servant used to keep His father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth.” The sheep was in the mouth of the lion, but it was not devoured. The Good Shepherd chased after the beast, smote him, and rescued the lamb from the clutches of its jaws.
A lamb from the flock may be in the mouth of the lion, but while there is still breath in its lungs, the Good Shepherd will be fighting to retrieve it. The thief comes to “steal, kill, and destroy, but the Good Shepherd has come that we might have life” (John 10:10).
Don’t lose hope. The Good Shepherd wants the sheep to be found and is in pursuit. The lamb may be in the lion’s mouth, but it is not devoured. Keep praying. Lost sheep are coming home.
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