Where Are The Keys?

Luke 15:8-9 – Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin." (NIV)

There is nothing more frustrating than searching hopelessly for the lost: keys, pen, passport, ticket — you name it, it is lost — again. I know this is an age-related thing. To counterbalance the lost with the found, we leave more time to look! Being in a rush will not work; we just don't see it, even when it is right there in front of our eyes!

We don't know much about the woman in Luke's account of Jesus' parable. She had lost a tenth of her money. The tenth rings a bell. Was it her tithe that was lost — that which she meant to give to God? She certainly was persistent in sweeping the house and looking all over the place until she found it. Obviously it was a very important coin.

When keys are lost around our place, a search begins as we look all over, doing all the normal things. Finally, I start praying this simple prayer: "Show us where to look, Lord" — and He does, as a thought comes into my mind: look by the chair, or under a certain table, etc. — and the lost is there! A simple prayer request is followed by a simple divine answer.

Jesus was making a point we tend to miss: the Lord knows where the lost are! This is an amazing thought. Applying it to more than keys, we find ourselves praying, "Show me, dear Lord, who and where are the lost people. Sadly, there are many around whose souls are lost on the journey of life. They may be among family, neighbours, or even the people at church. Show me how to help them see how very much loved they are by You, O Lord, and that as they turn to You, there is a great joyous party in heaven!"

Prayer: Dear Lord, there are so many people we know who feel lost and broken in spirit. As we meditate on the thought that You know who the lost are and where they are, show us how to find them among our families, and in our neighbourhoods and workplaces. Show us also those opportunities today when we can share Your love with them, that they may find themselves again as they are found by You. Then there will be great joy in heaven and in our hearts as our loved ones come to know You. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.