Sometimes God feels close. Sometimes he feels very far away. Prayers seem to go nowhere. Church feels empty. You might feel like you wandered off somewhere along the way and are not sure how to get back. Many of us have felt that, some for a long time.
Jesus told a short story for people who feel lost.
The one sheep
Some religious teachers were upset that Jesus spent time with tax collectors and people they thought of as sinners. So Jesus told them a story.
The Gospel of Luke, one of the four accounts of Jesus's life, records how he began.
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
Luke 15:4 · King James VersionThe original Greek
Τίς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὑμῶν ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ ἀπολέσας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἓν οὐ καταλείπει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ πορεύεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἕως εὕρῃ αὐτό;
Found in Papyrus 75 (about AD 200), Codex Vaticanus (about AD 325), Codex Sinaiticus (about AD 350).
A good shepherd would notice one sheep missing out of a hundred. And he would go looking, and keep looking until he found it.
When he found it, Jesus said, the shepherd put it on his shoulders, glad, and carried it home. Then he called his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him.
Who is doing the searching
In this story, the shepherd does the walking, the searching and the carrying.
Jesus told it to show what God is like. He goes looking for the one who is lost, and he is happy when he finds them.
What you can do
Say it honestly. You can pray, "I feel far away from you." That is a real prayer.
Read the stories of Jesus. The Gospels show how he treated people who felt far away. Start with Luke 15.
Stay near other Christians. Even when church feels empty, a friend who will pray with you helps.
Be patient with yourself. Feelings come and go. God's love for you stays the same.
Let yourself be found. The shepherd comes looking for you.
Carried home
If you feel lost right now, this story is for you. The shepherd is already looking, and when he finds you, he will carry you home glad. That is how much you are loved.