"So Far"

So far, so good was all he said,

When we asked about his time,

Way off the grid a-chasin’ cows,

The hunt for wild bovine.

A batchin’ high in line shack far,

He made his horse camp there,

For forty days he rode and stayed,

And lived without a care.

Except to search for remnants,

In places where they’d hide,

Finding some he’d push on down,

He would not be denied.

The diligence with which he rode,

The places so remote,

Makes one think of yester-year,

And what old-timers wrote,

About the horseback boys back when,

Who trailed the cattle far,

Though most of them were lost in time,

We don’t know who they are.

It’s all about the distance,

Measured out so many ways,

The miles and sweat and even blood,

The decades, years and days.

And all pursuing something lost,

No matter how far gone,

The hell for leather, whoop and spur,

The gather far and long.

And not unlike the Savior’s search,

To find the wand’ring stock,

No matter what or how or why,

Or far from any flock,

He goes the distance needed,

He’ll go if just for one,

So far, so good it’s measured,

Until the job is done.

You gotta love that cowboy,

Who’ll search far and away,

And thank God for a Savior,

Who’ll search and find a stray.

“What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4, NAS)

The picture is unforgettable. The shepherd who goes after the one lost sheep until he finds it. And this, according to Jesus, is a picture of God. This story is followed by the story of a lost coin and a lost boy. In all three the lost is found and there is great joy in the finding! The God who pursues, the Savior who searches is a truth we do well to digest. The One who knows me best loves me the most, and He is after me! The predicament of being lost is real, but the hope is that we can be found by the One who searches, and will not rest until He finds us.

Lord, help us to embrace the One who searches for us, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.