The Lost and Found Sheep

UV 3708/10000 The Lost and Found Sheep All who found them have devoured them; and their adversaries have said, “ We are not guilty, because they have sinned against the Lord ( and are no longer holy to Him), their (true) habitation of righteousness and justice, even the Lord, the confident hope of their fathers.’ Jeremiah 50 v 7 Jeremiah speaks of the lost sheep of Israel in this uni-verse. When we wantonly depart from the Lord and the Word ( Jesus), we are like lost sheep. The enemy, the adversary, the roaring lion will be waiting to devour us. The adversary visits afflictions on God’s people but adversity is allowed by the Lord as we are no longer living consecrated lives, set apart for Him like holy vessels, purposeful vehicles of the Lord God. We have left the mountain of God to find what we think are greener pastures on the hills of the world. We have left the safety of the pen of God, the habitation that is bounded by His righteousness and justice. We have deserted the confidence, hope and trust we had in the Lord and His word, preferring the pleasures that the world has to offer. The enemy sees us as so much meat to devour while the Lord sees us as His precious flock, His own, His children, His servants, His jewels, His people, His priests and kings, redeemed by Blood of His precious One that He cannot afford to lose sight of one more time. There are no two ways about it: if we are lost to God, we will found by the adversary. If we are lost to the enemy, we will be found by God. The uni-verse is a warning to believers not to leave their true home- the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who has revealed Himself to be Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. We are to live, hide and move in Him and not shift our home where our eyes draw us to. If we do so, we become vulnerable, defenceless. We become lost sheep without a good Shepherd. If we do not pray habitually, continually in the spirit, we will be preyed upon by the wolves and lions of this world. The latter will not have any sense of guilt for it is we who have wantonly, deliberately moved away from the sanctuary, the safe habitation of the Lord. We will be given over to the adversary like Judas, the betrayer of Jesus. Adversity and afflictions might visit the faithful, too but these are allowed by the Lord to test our faith, to purify it like gold, to strengthen us in the inner core. The Lord will also give us strength or grace to endure it or a way of escape or relief from it as long as we remain confident of the hope we have in Him that He is our safe, secure and blessed Tabernacle, our habitation. Our habits prove whether we are inhabited by the Lord and whether we inhabit or reside in Him. If there is a momentary indiscretion or error of judgement committed by us, the Lord will put forth His Shepherd’s crook and draw us back into His cover, His fold but if we consciously and deliberately take steps to move further and further away from Him, He will allow the inevitable.