In Luke chapter 15, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd who owns 100 sheep. When one of the sheep goes missing, the shepherd leaves the 99 in search of the one. Upon finding the lost sheep the shepherd rejoices. In this parable God is the shepherd and we are the sheep. The next two parables in this chapter are of a similar nature. According to Jesus, God is wholeheartedly seeking us.
If it doesn't seem like this to us, it means we have a faulty perception.
Or we don't trust the words of Jesus.
It's one or the other. We have to look within ourselves to see which one it is.
We don't expect little children to know many things. We wouldn't expect an infant to be able to survive on its own, or expect a toddler to be able to operate a vehicle.
We have to understand that from God's perspective we are all little children. No matter how wise and educated we may seem to the world, we are all simple children in God's eyes.
Jesus tells us that we must become again as children to see the Kingdom because while pride infects our perception, we will never be able to accept the truths that Jesus proclaims. We can't expect to learn something that we think we already know.
"How could I possibly believe that God is seeking me like the lost sheep when so many bad things are happening to me?"
Does God not have the power to turn bad into good? Has a negative situation never ended up being positive in the long run? What if this current struggle is the one that God finally breaks through and reveals His Presence to you? It is in the moments when we are most hurt, most broken, most vulnerable that we are most receptive to God's goodness.
While presuming to know it all, we don't allow God to teach us.
Jesus said it is not the healthy that need a doctor but the sick. If we keep acting like we're perfectly healthy, we do not allow God to heal us. This is why Jesus says the last will be first and the first will be last. This is why He tells us that those who humble themselves will be exalted but those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
Lord Jesus, do not let us presume to know more than you have revealed to us. Keep us humble and open to receiving your truth and goodness.
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost - Luke 19:10
Even one lost sheep would have been reason enough for the Incarnation
You have pointed us to a very necessary Key for Life, humility. Humanity struggles with thinking we are greater than our Creator. The sin also caused Satin to fall. Jesus blinded Saul so that he would be able to see. The Korean pastor of that very huge church in Seoul testified that the Lord demanded he give up "honor" so that he could be used to build the Kingdom. (That's a really big deal in Asian Culture.) We often notice that it is frequently more difficult for intellectuals, like Paul, to surrender to Jesus. Our perception of success can ruin us.
What we often fail to recognize is that the evil one who fell is working to bring us down…