Last week, on my way home I saw a young girl walking along a busy 4 lane road (locals know it as Towanda Barnes Road). As she was heading south, halfway to Downs, it appeared this was an unplanned journey. I don’t see many people using this road as a nice walk about, and definitely not in dress shoes and a collared button down.
I found a little farm access drive and pulled in and waited for her to catch up and see if she needed help. Sure enough, her phone had died and couldn’t call for her Uber after work, as planned.
To complicate matters, she just started this new job on the far east side of town, and didn’t know her way around. When she left work that day, she knew she was close to the airport, and also knew there was a bus stop at the airport. Her plan was to walk to the airport, catch a bus back to ISU campus where she lived. Even though her phone died and she couldn’t call an Uber to get home, she had a plan to use her cash and catch the bus.
One small problem. When she left work, she mistakenly went the exact opposite way of getting to the airport. When I came upon her – 2.5 miles south of where she started – she had no idea she was heading the wrong way. See the little map/visual:
SWEET. GIRL. DIDN’T. EVEN. KNOW. SHE. WAS. LOST.
All throughout scripture, Jesus is called the Good Shepard. He goes after us. He will leave the ninety-nine to rescue the one. As Jon reminded us yesterday, he knows his sheep and his sheep know his voice. He doesn’t just lead us, guide us, care for us… he protects us. He protects us differently than a hired hand – because we are his very own children.
Hebrews 13 takes it up a notch and calls him the GREAT Shepard. Yes. So, so great. Even when we don’t know we are lost, way off track, or heading the completely wrong way, he pursues us. He rescues us from things we don’t even know we need rescuing from! Every once in awhile we get a glimpse of “what could have been” or what the Lord saved us from. But what about the countless times we don’t?
There’s a song from my youth (hey, 80s!) that reminds me of our Great Shepard and the countless times he has rescued me even when I wasn’t aware.
God only knows the times my life was threatened just today
A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way
Near misses all around me, accidents unknown
Though I never see with human eyes the hands that lead me home
God, I know they’re all around me all day and through the night
When the enemy is closing in I know sometimes they fight
To keep my feet from falling I’ll never turn away
If you’re asking what’s protecting me then you’re gonna hear me say
Angels watching over me
Angels. Written by: Amy Grant, Gary Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Brown Bannister. Performed by: Amy Grant, 1984
