The Voice of the Searcher

By: Carole L. Haines

“He who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. ³ To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
 (John 10:2b-5)

Riding along in the car through the woods, I felt like I was in a playful game of hide and seek with the Sun. Obscured by the trees one minute and glaring into my eyes the next, the Sun dodged between the shadows in a playful romp with me. It took my mind back to the many times as a child I would sit in a dark place waiting to be found, wanting to be found by someone, anyone, just not to have to stay in that dark place anymore. As I could hear the voice of the searcher getting closer, I would tingle all over in delight as I anticipated finally being found.

In my life, Jesus is the Voice of the Searcher, and I long to be found by Him. I long for His voice to come nearer and nearer to me until finally the door is opened, or the curtain pushed aside, and I am face to face with My Finder. There is an adage we would say as children, “Finders-keepers, Losers-weepers” We all lose things sometimes. Keys, phones, wallets, it’s just the stuff of life. When we are looking, we are generally always in a rush, heading out the door, needing to find it fast. The kind thing for someone to do when they find something of ours is to bring it to us, or call us and tell us they found it, perhaps turn it in to the police who notify us. Jesus dedicates an entire sermon to lost things in Luke 15.

The lost sheep, the lost coin and finally, the lost son (or prodigal). There are three responses that are demonstrated in this chapter of lost things. The searcher leaves the found sheep and goes after the one who has wandered off, rejoicing as he brings it back into the fold. The woman searches carefully until she finds her coin and then she throws a party. Finally, the father leaps from the porch and runs up the road to embrace his prodigal son come home. Then, yup, he throws a party. Jesus closes each story by saying, “Rejoice with me, Rejoice with me, we have to celebrate!”

Are you feeling lost today, sitting in a dark place yearning to be found? Whisper a prayer to Jesus, and soon you will hear the Voice of the Searcher coming closer and closer until finally you are found.