Turning Fear to Faithნიმუში

Day 4: Lost and Found

Rarely a day goes by that I don’t misplace something—my car keys, the TV remote, or even worse, my cell phone. After a few minutes of desperation, I usually call out to my wife and ask if she has seen the missing object. Inevitably, she replies, “It’s right where you left it.”

Does that sound familiar? We take the same approach after we have drifted from God. When life throws us a curveball, we cry out in panic, “Where are You, God?” What we fail to see is that God isn’t the one who has gone missing. He’s right where we left Him!

Christian, in your time of desperation, God hears your voice. He has promised He will never leave you. Like a good shepherd who searches everywhere until he finds the one lost sheep that has strayed, Jesus will bring you back to the fold with a love and patience that are more than you can comprehend. The question is, Have you wandered away?

While Jesus is the expert at “finding,” what He longs for is that you and I will abide or remain in Him (see John 15:4). This is the type of close and constant relationship that you and I have been created for—and that He died for on the cross.

Such devotion is nurtured by good communication, where there is a consistent flow of conversation about everything from our struggles, questions, and worries to our thankfulness and praise. But to abide in Christ, to remain connected to Him, it’s also important for each of us to watch and listen. God wakes us up morning after morning with incredible sunrises, and then He goes on to display His goodness and mercy throughout each day. The key is to pay attention—to see Him working, to hear Him speaking, and to keep focusing our hearts on Him!

I’ve found that walking daily with Him increases my trust in Him so that I can have faith and not get lost when struggles come my way. It also strengthens the ongoing connection between us. Spending consistent time with Jesus through prayer, Scripture reading, and awareness of the countless miracles surrounding me has helped me realize that I need Him just as much in the peaceful times as in the times of despair.

That’s the beauty of intimacy: the closer you and I stay by Jesus’ side, the clearer we hear His voice and can follow where He leads. Then, when those inevitable hard times come, we’ll be less inclined to wander away because our faith will be right where we left it. At the foot of the cross.

• John 15:4–5
• Luke 15:3–7
• Deuteronomy 31:8