"Wayward Soul"

 The wayward soul to be made whole,

Must come to God above.

The Shepherd seeks, that sheep who reeks,

But needs to know His love.

He goes in search outside the church,

To find the one that’s lost.

He ranges far, sets high the bar,

But glad to pay the cost.

The cowboys true, the ones I knew,

Who horseback sought to find,

The bovine wild, and rode and smiled,

When casting out their twine,

To bring one back, take up the slack,

And save those that escape,

Kept on till they, had found that stray,

Though some were in bad shape.

I see there, the Shepherd’s care,

For those who wayward go,

Love so fine, and yes, divine,

To bring them home and so,

What Jesus said, it’s why He bled,

To bring us home for good,

Sheep, coin and son, and for just one,

He did all that He could.

What will we do, it’s nothing new,

When rescue is God’s plan,

Sit and wait, beside the gate,

Or go and find that man.

To seek and save, His life He gave,

And we should give ours, too,

Because He came and called our name,

It’s the least that we can do.

“Won’t He leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4, NLT)

In response to the criticism that Jesus associated with “notorious sinners,” He told a set of three stories. The first about a lost sheep, the second, a lost coin, and the third, a lost son. The point of all three is that people who need help are worth going after. Jesus wanted everyone to know that this was the heavenly Father’s heart, to seek and save the lost. There are many problems that arise when we take this view of God seriously. It gives us personal hope and that’s a good thing. But it also challenges us to care in ways that are inconvenient, expensive, and unselfish. Are we willing for the God who seeks sinners to seek them through us?

Lord, use us to go after the wayward soul, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Owen, cowhorsegallery.com. Used by permission. Thanks, and God bless.