When the Lost is Found

 When the Lost Is Found
Can you remember the intense feeling of relief when you finally find something that you’ve misplaced; your wallet, your keys, your checkbook, or your glasses? Can you recall the feeling of that huge weight being lifted off your shoulders? A wave of comfort floods your being when that all consuming worry has been removed and is no longer a pressing concern.
In Luke 15:8-10 a woman lost a valuable silver coin. She was distressed and she lit a candle, swept every room, and searched every corner of her house. She couldn’t rest. When she found it, she was so elated that she called her friends and neighbors saying, “Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”
In the same chapter a shepherd noticed that one of his hundred sheep was missing. He left the flock and diligently searched for the lost one. He returned to his trail, looking for signs where the sheep wandered away. When he found the lamb, he laid it across his shoulders, rejoicing that the lost sheep had been found. The shepherd went home and called his friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
In a similar vein, there’s the story of the prodigal son. Luke shares the parable of a second-born son who approached his father asking for his share of his expected inheritance. He was bold enouugh to ask for his share of the wealth that his father earned before the father died. The father didn’t deny the son’s request, but gave it to him.
Immediately the young man left his home and fled to a far away country. He began to spend his inheritance on riotous living. He began to live a carefree life with wanton spending of the inheritance. The word wanton has a meaning of senseless lewdness. He bought “friends” to help him spend his money on extravagant spending for food and drink. His capricious lifestyle soon left him penniless and his “friends” deserted him when he was in need.
The young man found a job tending pigs. It got to the point he was eating what he was feeding to the hogs. Coming to his senses, he went home to his father. Instead of tunrning the son away, he greeted the boy with open arms. The father said, “For this my son who was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” The father made a feast and rejoiced for he who was lost is now found. The Bible says there is rejoicing in heaven when a lost soul accepts Christ as Saviour.