I was a very insecure child. Once when my family was on vacation, I decided to hide in some bushes by the lake to see if anyone would miss me. Would they care enough about me to even look for me? Evening came and it took a while, but my very worried mom searched until she found her lost boy.
At the time, I did not know that I had a heavenly Father who knew exactly where I was and who understood the desire in my heart to be seen and loved without reservation. Now I’m a grown man, and my parents have passed on, but God is still with me. He is always watching out for me. He is omnipresent and eternal, and His love never fails.
Today Sally and I met a man who told us he had “left the Lord” but now he was “coming back.” We assured him that, although he had strayed from the Lord, God had never strayed from him. Much like the parable of the Good Shepherd who left the flock of 99 sheep secure in the fold and went to rescue the stray lamb that was stuck in the brambles (Matthew 18:10–14), this young man had always been under God’s watchful care. God would eagerly help him in his commitment to a new life of obedience to His Word.
Jesus said He longed to gather the people safely under His protective arms as a mother hen carefully guards her tiny chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:37). He referred to Himself as a shepherd who would lay down his life to protect his sheep (John 10:11). He called us His friends (John 15:15), and promised to light our way (John 8:12) and to always be with us (Matthew 28:20).
He said He would show us the Father (Matthew 11:27) so that we could be one with Him and the Father (John 17:21). Jesus said that if we come to Him when we are weary and heavy laden, we will find rest for our souls (Matthew 11:28–30). He offers us the water of the Spirit and the bread of life so that spiritually we will never be thirsty or hungry (John 4:14; 6:35). With Christ we receive forgiveness for all of our sins and mistakes (1 John 1:9). He gives us the opportunity to start over (2 Corinthians 5:17) and offers us eternal life and promises that we will be with Him forever (John 10:28).
This month’s issue of Activated is about God’s care for us and reminds us that with God we will never be “lost in the bushes,” because He always knows where we are.