Let the Lost Be Found

My dog ran away last summer. My husband decided to go for a run and I decided to paint our front door. I grabbed the paint and the tarp and propped open the door. Then, when my husband went running down the road, Dodger took off out the propped-open door after him.

Dodger was gone from my sight for about two minutes before I rounded the corner to find him being carried home by my husband. But during that time, I was absolutely sick to my stomach. I was praying for his safety, that he wouldn’t run out into traffic, and that my husband would find him before anyone else did.

It wasn’t until after the dust had settled that I stopped to wonder, “Have I ever prayed for lost souls the way I prayed for my lost dog?”

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul writes:

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe (NLT).

And Timothy tells us in 2 Timothy 2:26 that the lost have been held captive by him [the devil] to do whatever he wants.

God’s Word describes those far from Him as blind and captive. That is a picture that grieves my heart. His Word also tells us, that God’s desire is for every person to come to repentance and walk in right relationship with Him (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:2-4, Luke 23:34, Matthew 18:12-14).

In the New Living Translation of the Bible, there is a passage of Scripture entitled “Jeremiah Weeps for Sinful Judah (Jeremiah 8:18 – 9:2).” Here we hear Jeremiah crying out on behalf of the people he was sent to preach to:

My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. Listen to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land . …  I hurt with the hurt of people. I mourn and am overcome with grief. … Why is there no healing for the wounds of my people? If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered.

As followers of Christ, we have also been called to preach to the lost (Matthew 28:19-20). May Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet, be an example to us. Let us come before the Lord with hearts that break for the lost, intercede for those suffering in captivity to their sin, and grieve for those living in a fallen world without the hope of Jesus Christ in their lives.

Father God, give me Your heart for the lost. Remind me to pray for those who are far from You with the same zeal and grief that Jeremiah prayed for Judah. I thank You that it is Your desire that none should perish. Thank You that when I was dead in my sin, Your grace called me out of darkness and into Your marvelous light. Let that be my prayer for those who are living in darkness today. In Your name I pray, amen.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.