I was out walking in the cool of the early morning and saw a notice posted on one of the poles in our neighbourhood. The large bold letters at the top read, “LOST CAT.” As I read the rest of the message below the picture of a pleasant looking orange cat, there were details that the cat had been missing since a particular date and answered to the name “Mary Jane”. A phone number was provided for people to call if they had seen this much loved lost cat. I was reminded of a time when we had moved and our two cats went missing. We searched for them and put up signs and finally, after quite some time, we did find them and were greatly relieved to have both our lost cats home with us again. When we consider how much we care about a lost pet, we can recall the Scripture from Luke 15:1-7 where Jesus tells the story of the lost sheep. It is obvious how much this sheep is cared for when Jesus refers to what the shepherd does when the sheep is found: “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” (Luke 15:5) All around us there are people who are lost. Circumstances in life have resulted in people losing sight of God. Individuals have become so wrapped up in the demands of life that they have lost what really matters. Apart from God and trusting God to care for and to keep us, we are lost. For our regular prayer time this week we will be praying for people who are lost and need to be found. There is cause for celebration when someone who has been lost comes home to safety with God. As you are able, please join us for our WEDNESDAY PRAYER TOGETHER tomorrow August 17th at 1 pm.
Praying that God will fill our hearts with compassion for those who are lost and need to be found, Pastor Lola
Our Loving God, we are thankful today to know that You really do love and care for us. When we were lost, You were relentless until You found us. We are praying together today for those who have lost their way. Some of these souls have heard of you and were part of church at one time. Various life experiences have caused them to wander away from You. We long to see them return home to You. We pray that we will care in our hearts for them as You do. We think now of those who are looking for direction and who do not know which way to turn. Please direct them towards Your loving arms. Some of those who are lost have never discovered You for themselves. They have been consumed by the pursuit of everything but You Lord. We are asking You to guide them home to security with You. With all that presses in on us these days, there is a desperation to feeling lost. We pray for those who see no solutions to their problems and are losing hope. Our God please help us to remember what it has been like in our lives to be lost. Thank You for Your persistence in searching for us so that we could be found and carried safely home. Knowing Your delight in those who are lost being found, we pray for ways that we will participate in shining light for people who are lost to find their way to You. Forgive us we pray for the times we become absorbed in our own issues and lose concern for those who are struggling. We consider the heaviness that weighs people down in trying to put one foot in front of the other. We know our God that there are those who are lost and feel alone and as if no one cares. Thank You that You genuinely care and we are asking that You care for others through us. In our experience of Your care, we learn to trust You. In our experience of Your care, we stop trying to manage life by ourselves and we reach out to You. We have known what it is to be lost. Those times of looking and looking for answers make us weary. Thank You God that when we find You, we do not need to look any further. We pray for those who long for truth to be found by You and to find You. No one else can satisfy. Our souls are restless until we find our rest in You. God, being found by You provides a home and a safe place to belong. For those still looking for a place of safety and belonging, we pray that they will discover this with You. We find hope for the present and the future when we are recognizing that we have been found by You. For those who do not realize that they are lost, we ask You to lovingly guide them to You. We pray for the blessing that comes in knowing we are rejoiced over. We think of the joy in heaven when one lost soul is found and we pray for this joy to be multiplied many times over as more and more people can testify, “I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” Thank You God for Your compelling grace that draws us to You. Thank You for the purpose You have in mind for each of us as we move from being lost to being found. We will never stop praising You for Your determination to find us and to bring us safely home. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.