Lost In The Wilderness of Sin
He Came To Rescue and Restore Your Life
Turning your life into a huge mess does not require any special talent or planning. It all happens quite naturally with little or no effort. No young person says I think I will ruin my life drinking and doing drugs, hurting others, or waste time and money while pursuing a life of emptiness, isolation, and loneliness. No one says I think I’ll get married, have children and then get a painful divorce. On the contrary, it never seems this way at the start. All our desires and choices were supposed to lead to the good life, but the path of poor choices is not well illuminated and often misunderstood by many. Years and possibly decades may pass as we wander in a cloud of confusion before it becomes clear we have lost our way and our life is an enormous mess.
Over the years I have known many lost people who completely strayed into a life of despair. Sin and its debilitating shame had beaten them into the ground. In such times it is nearly unimaginable to believe that God cares about us, for us, and that he truly loves us. Lost and drowning in a sea of sin we are helpless to save ourselves. This is why Jesus said he “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10).
In Luke 15: 3-7 Jesus shared the parable of the lost sheep and the shepherd’s loving determination to save the sheep that strayed into the wilderness.
Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
God’s love and compassion infinitely transcends our sin and guilt. It is Jesus’ desire and mission to seek those who are lost and rescue them from a life of sin and shame. The difficulty in salvation lies in our unwillingness to humble ourselves and recognize our rebellion against God has led us astray. We chose sin over righteousness thinking it’s all good and we know what we are doing. We wandered into the wilderness in search of lush green pastures where we had every intention of enjoying the good life. It is only later that we discover the grazing pastures we have chosen are filled poisonous weeds. Isaiah 53: 6 says:
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 6)
Lost in the wilderness of sin trying to make sense out of life He calls us by name and says, “come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Yes, the good shepherd knows your name and He knows every good and evil thing you have done. But He has not come to condemn you but rescue you. It is in moments like these we will either run farther away or humble ourselves and run to the good shepherd.
In this life there are only two possible spiritual states of being. Either we have been rescued and are living safe and secure as redeemed children of God or we are lost in the wilderness of sin.
How to Turn to God
Perhaps at this very moment, you have realized that you need the Lord in your life. Maybe you drifted away or need to be been born again? If so, you can stop right now and begin talking to God. Ask Him to forgive you for being a sinner and the life you have been living outside of His love. Surrender your life to Him, unconditionally. Call Him Lord and make Him Lord of every thought, attitude, and action. You can say, Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins and come into my heart and take full control of my life. I am your child from this day forward. Change my heart and mind to be Christ-like in every way. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior forever.
