The God Who Finds You

We decided to wage war on every creepy crawly thing around my house. So, we got a barn cart. Our goal for the barn cat was for it to become feral and hunt, kill, and eat all things my wife fears.

Now, the definition of a feral cat is that it avoids human contact because, well, it’s feral. Wild and untamed. A vicious beast. But this cat didn’t get the memo.

I can’t even step outside the door without it running to me, meowing for my affection, and wanting my love and attention. I try to ignore it, but it’s so needy!

It chases me down and follows me wherever I go. I can’t shake it. It’s an embarrassment to all feral cats worldwide and should be ashamed!

And, as embarrassing as it is to say, If I don’t see it outside, I get worried and go looking for it. After all, it would be odd for it not to love me even though I often reject it. Right?

You know that cat treats me like God treats us. Even though we often reject, ignore, and rebel against him, he still looks for us with his unconditional love.

The Bible is full of stories of God’s loving pursuit of His people. From day one, God has always desired a loving relationship with his people, specifically with you.

To demonstrate this, Jesus tells a parable about a shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the lost, wandering, and lonely sheep.

He said, “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he 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? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'” (Luke 15:4-6)

This story illustrates God’s unwavering commitment to seek and save the lost. He is not content to have one person go astray. The Bible says, “He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.” (2 Peter 3:9)

It’s wonderful to know that, even when you go astray through your rebellion, God comes looking for you. Why? Because he loves you and wants to pour out his unfailing love on you.

Maybe you’re guilty of treating God like I treat my cat. With a lot of indifference, very little love, and perhaps outright rejection. We all have a time or two.

It’s time to stop turning away from God and turn towards him. The Bible says, “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)