“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  —Luke 19:10 NIV

Many years ago, when I was working in another country, a co-worker and I took a local bus to visit a nearby tourist attraction. Just a few minutes after getting off the bus, when I attempted to pay my admission, I realized I didn’t have my wallet! I quickly deduced that I must have left it on the bus. And the bus was pulling away!

Frantic to get it back, my friend and I hailed a taxi and asked the driver to help us “follow that bus!” Thankfully, the taxi driver knew the bus route and understood the urgency (and probably was hoping for a good tip). He sped along like it was a high-speed chase. In the next town, we tracked down the bus, and I anxiously boarded it while it sat quietly parked and waiting at a bus stop. I found the row I had been sitting in, and to my amazement, there was my wallet, resting on the seat, just waiting for me to find it. Oh! I was so relieved! I clutched the wallet and quickly ran back to my friend. I was soooo happy to find what was lost!

God also loves to find lost things. Especially lost people like you and me. The Bible says there is great joy in heaven when one of us finally repents and is “found”! (Luke 15:7) Have you ever wondered what that looks like? I felt like dancing when I found my wallet, but when God celebrates a repentant sinner, I like to imagine He holds a grand parade down golden streets or a spontaneous angel concert. It is worth celebrating!

The parables in Luke 15 about the lost sheep and the lost coin paint a clear picture of the way God cares for lost people. Even though they don’t deserve it, He really loves them. Like the shepherd who lost his sheep and the woman who lost her coin, God goes out in search of lost people. He actively pursues their hearts. He wants them to be with Him forever and never lost again.

I’m very grateful that God pursued me. There was certainly a time in my life when I was pretty lost. I knew about God’s love, but I decided it wasn’t worth changing my life for. Not yet, anyway. I wanted to live in whatever way I wanted to live. Like my wallet on that bus, I was headed in the wrong direction, carried away by the world.

But God didn’t give up on me. He came running! He pursued me with His love. He sent His saints, His Word, and some divine discipline to shake me up and draw me back to Himself. To be “found” by God meant to finally surrender and submit to His loving pursuit.

A life changed by Christ is the most beautiful thing. On a Baptism Sunday years ago, I remember being deeply moved as I watched a man being baptized while his wife stood nearby, holding a poster with handwriting that read, “I prayed for this for 18 years.” When the lost become found and a life is miraculously redeemed from an eternity in hell, it makes all the years of pursuit worthwhile.

Are you praying for someone who is lost? A wayward child? An estranged family member? A dear coworker? Be encouraged: they may weigh heavily on your heart—but they are also heavy on God’s heart. In fact, they are constantly on His mind. One day, in heaven, I believe we’ll be able to see all the ways God was working to draw lost ones to Himself. So, don’t give up hope, and keep on praying. Sometimes the ones we think are furthest from accepting Christ are actually very close. God never slumbers or sleeps, and He never stops pursuing lost souls.

Dear Lord, thank You for pursuing me! Your saving grace and promises are blessings I don’t deserve. I entrust my unbelieving loved ones into Your care, and pray that You would continue to pursue them with Your love. Draw them to You, Father, and soften their hearts to receive Your salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

With love,
Brittany Anderson

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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