Most Righteous Judge, You revealed Yourself to me when I did not ask and You made Yourself available when I was not seeking You. When You called out “Here I am” and extended Your hand in love, I neither heard You nor acknowledged Your gesture of kindness. At the time, my ways were clearly not Your ways and what I pursued was my own interests. I know You must have shaken Your head as I put up a righteous front but on the inside I was dark and self-centered. I conveyed an attitude of “stay away; do not come near.” But You would not stay away nor keep silent. Instead, You pursued me and won me over. I was blind, but Your light exposed my sin and convinced me of my need for a Savior. When the world saw me as worthless, You chose to not abandon me to my own designs because You could see some good in me. You saw what no one else could … a life worth saving.
I am thankful that the role of judge has never been put into my hands because I know justice can more equitably be found in Your hands. Who else but You knows the hearts and minds of men? Who else knows what a fair and just punishment goes with a sin? No matter how deplorable the world becomes, You will always be reaching out to find the lost. You have provided a place of peace for those who find You and give themselves to You. I rejoice in the fact that I heard Your call and finally responded to it. Now when You speak I listen intently. I no longer want to do what is evil or anything that would displease You. As Your servant You have promised me that I would never go without You in my life … nor thirst for Your righteousness … nor be ashamed of belonging to You. I rejoice in the fact that when I was lost You came and found me. In brokenness of spirit, I came before You and in Your compassion You accepted me.
Life contains many roads that beckon me to travel them. By giving me reason and free will You allow me to choose which road I will travel. The old me would have taken off on whichever road I wanted to travel. The new me looks to You for help with choosing the right one to take and the Holy Spirit guides me in successfully traveling down it. My flesh makes me susceptible to the deceptions of the enemy, but I know I can count on the Holy Spirit to make me sensitive to the tricks of the Devil. The old me was ignorant and often did not know better, but the new me has grown in wisdom and matured so that I can now make good choices. When I encounter circumstances that are hard to navigate, I now know that I have someone to lean on who will show me how to make the impossible possible. I rejoice in the fact that I once was lost, but now I’m found. And it’s in Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN!!
Luke 15:32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is now alive; he was lost and is found.