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He told them this parable. "Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it? When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing." Luke 15:3–5 WEB.

Jesus once told a parable about a man who had one hundred sheep, and one of them got lost. The Shepherd's job was to find the lost sheep, bind up their wounds, and bring them back to the flock (Ezekiel 34:4). So much so that Jesus said, "Which of you wouldn't?" The sheep are rarely able to find their way back on their own.

Lost sheep were often scared, possibly injured, and may have been driven away by another flock member. A good shepherd would always go after them. Good sheep flock together, submit to the Shepherd, and their protection is in numbers. Sheep tend to be gentle and become easy prey when found wandering alone.

Goats are different. We raised goats on the farm where I grew up. I had one as a pet. Goats are temperamental, stubborn, and sometimes downright mean to others. They will butt each other and you. Goats constantly see the grass greener on the other side and will go over, under, or through the fence. Yet, they never willingly stay inside it with the others. A goat can be your friend one moment and your enemy the next.

Sadly, there are goats in God's flock who drive His sheep away. God cares deeply about the wounded who have gone missing, and we are to gently bring them back. No one makes it alone for very long.

One night, I had a vivid dream that a friend of ours was covered in huge sores, like boils. In the dream, I had a container of healing salve, which I rubbed on their sores. They were so thankful, and the salve healed them. After I awoke, I thought about the dream and recalled that I hadn't seen them at church lately. Then suddenly, I felt we should call them up and ask them out to dinner, so we did.

They agreed to meet for dinner, and we talked for a while. During the conversation, we learned that our friends had been hurt by someone in the church, so they had quietly stopped going. It was mostly a misunderstanding, as we knew everyone involved. It was an anointed time with tears, and you could feel the presence of the Lord in the air around us. He cared deeply about restoration.

Through prayer and the Holy Spirit, we worked through it, and they started attending church again. The relationships were restored. God had used us to go after a couple who had been driven away. The dream was from Him, and the instructions were from Him, but He chose us to carry His message. We are His hands and feet on the Earth.

Be open to going after the lost ones, and pray for the Lord to show you who you can reach. If you are lost and wandering alone, know that Jesus, the true Shepherd, seeks you and wants to bring you back to His flock. Though hard, cold, religious salespeople may have hurt you in the past, it wasn't Him who did it. Jesus Christ would never hurt you, and He still has true shepherds out there who care for His flock.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for finding me. Please heal, restore, and guide me to where I need to be. Teach me what I need to know. I yield my will to You. May Your will be done here on Earth and in my life as it is in heaven. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Today is Thankful Thursday at the Ministry Events group! This event gives us an opportunity encourage each other by posting thoughts, moments, and prayers of gratitude for Him, His creation and all that He does in our lives. All our welcome! To join, just click on the group name and then the join link on the page that will follow. As always, if you have a prayer need, we are here for you! We and the prayer team are ready to lift you up at our private prayer page: RHM Prayer Network.