Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16 For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. … I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.
Each of us probably has a family member or a few family members for whom we pray they might find or return to the faith they knew as a child. We might even have friends for whom we are praying, or family members of those friends. As we anticipate the soon coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we have a growing sense of urgency within us for these loved ones.
When God commissioned Ezekiel to proclaim this prophecy it was in connection with the fall of Jerusalem. Yet I think this passage is one that holds comfort for us today. Our Heavenly Father knows our concerns. If God was able to locate Gideon when he was hiding from the Midianites threshing wheat in a winepress… If God was able to locate Jonah fleeing from him on a ship to Tarshish on the far edge of the known Roman world… If God was able to locate Saul who was persecuting God’s people and convert him to become one of God’s faithful servants… Then I am confident God knows each and every person for whom we are praying.
God knows how to place people in their lives who will witness to them in ways more effective than perhaps what we could ever do ourselves. Our job is to keep lifting them up to the Lord in prayer and I believe with all my heart that our loving Heavenly Father will rescue them. It may happen in our lifetime, it may happen after we are long gone, but I am confident it will happen. Our Heavenly Father knows the heart of each person. So, what are we to do? Keep these precious loved ones, family, and friends on your prayer list and never lose hope! God is faithful and He is able to bring back the strays.
Gracious Heavenly Father,
Today our hearts are heavy with the thoughts of precious family and friends whom for whatever reason have turned away from you to follow other pursuits. We lift each name up to you and ask that in your mercy and grace you would place people in their pathways to guide them back to you. Show us where we might be useful and of service to you in helping to bring back the strays.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen.
The devotional Bringing Back the Strays appeared first on Write From My Heart at writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
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