God Knows Where the Lost Things Are

God knows where the lost things are.




How about your wallet, glasses, cell phone, even keys?
         Often, those things are not lost but simply misplaced when your mind is working on auto-pilot.
But God really does know where they are, even when you do not.

What about your train of thought?  I wonder what happens to my thoughts when I leave a room to grab a particular item,  but when I arrive in the new room,...…...I cannot remember what I walked in there to get. 

 For me, this happens when I have to run down to the basement.
 In my experience, I've usually just misplaced the thought.
If I retrace my steps back to the first room, it will pop back into my head.
It's kind of funny.  God knew my thought the whole time.  In Psalm 139 verse 2, it says, “God perceives your thoughts from afar”, or in my case, between the kitchen and the basement.

Recently, I could not find my favorite necklace.
I looked in the small drawer where I keep my “go-to” jewelry.  It wasn't there.
I looked in my closet where I hang all other necklaces -no luck.
I looked in the side pocket of my purse and even the change pocket of a wallet I carry sometimes. (That may sound weird. But that is where I place earring if I take them off when I am out)  - no necklace.
Finally, I looked in the box where I keep my expensive jewelry.  It wasn't there either.

Though I would not consider the necklace expensive, it has great value to me.  It is silver.  The pendant is a diamond shape with a smaller gold circle in the center. If you look at it closely, “blessed” is engraved in Hebrew above the circle and in English below it.  It is the perfect size and design to wear with most outfits both casual and professional.  But most importantly, it was a gift my sister bought me when she was in Israel.  She bought matching ones for herself and for our mother. 

I assumed it would eventually show up, as most missing things do.  I tend to casually pray in passing about things like this.  “Lord, you know where this item is. Please show me.”

 But, after 10 weeks, He still was not showing me.  I started feeling a little more concerned.
 I was missing my sister who had passed away a year earlier.
              I was a few days away from a pretty big surgery.
                                And I really wanted that necklace.
I feared I had lost it in Dallas or Houston where I had traveled a few months earlier.  My “passing prayer” turned into a very deliberate prayer.
                           “God, I know it is just a necklace. But you know how special it is
                              to me. And you know where it is.  Please bring it to me.”

By this point I really thought it must be in Texas. I think I even prayed part of Jeremiah 33:3.
                          “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and 
                             unsearchable things you do not know.” NIV
OK, I know this is talking about the deep truths of God.
 However, I had searched for that necklace and did not know where it was located.

The next morning I grabbed my hair dryer and rolling brush from the usual place, right next to the straightening iron. The cords were wrapped up together, so I looked into the small bin where I keep them. I saw something silver mixed in with the entangled cords.  As I pulled it out of the mess, I began to cry. I mean really cry. I have no idea how it got there. I had styled my hair plenty of times in the weeks the necklace was missing.   I could not even speak when I went to show my husband what I had found.
God cared about my necklace because God cares about me.





The same is true for you!

God loves you so much. 

He cares about the small things that concern you (like a necklace).

How much more does He care about your big concerns (like an upcoming surgery)? Or your marriage?  your children?  your job? or finances?
           
God cares about every detail of your life.



I know this can be hard to comprehend.  It is hard for me, too.
                     But, it is absolutely, 100 % true.

Consider Hagar, the maidservant who was forced to have a baby for Abram and Sarai in Genesis 16.  (This was before God gave them the names Abraham and Sarah).
I have to admit, there are many things about this part of the couples history that I do not like, especially when I think about the life and feelings of Hagar.
I do not blame her for running away.
 But our loving God sent an angel to prophecy to her, to encourage her and eventually, send her back. This had to be the first time this “Egyptian slave”, who no person considered important, knew the Creator of the universe, the God of Abram and Sarai, actually saw her and knew her name. The angel told her God had seen her misery.
   God cared for Hagar. For the first time in her life, she knew it.
               She called Him “the God who sees me”.

The same God sees you and those you love.
 There is not a single person who is lost from “The God Who Sees”.  Psalm 139 says He knit you together, HIMSELF, in your mother's womb.
Think about that.
    Before your mother even knew she was pregnant, God knew you and loved you.  He knew the things you would love and the things that would make you struggle.

You can never be lost from your perfect Father.
He knows you.
You are His.
Nothing can change His love for you.
Nothing can change your identity as His child once you have asked Christ to be in your life.

Nine years ago, I had great concern about my identity.
NOT my identity that is in Christ, but my identification while traveling. I lost it where the authorities told me there was no hope of getting it back.

My husband and I took a much-needed getaway to San Antonio, Texas when our kids were young.  The first full day was relaxing and fun, as we traveled down the Riverwalk by boat, then walked to the Alamo and then to the Historic Market Square.

A friend's daughter at the restaurant

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a delicious Mexican Restaurant that was decorated with so many strands of lights, it reminded me of Christmas.  My husband even paid the Mariachi band to sing to us.

It was the perfect day, until I realized I had lost my driver’s license 1,300 miles away from home.

I'm sure you can imagine the stress as we tore apart our hotel room, then retraced our steps……
                 So many steps…..
                          By then it was dark.

The next morning we had to visit a part of the city that is not included in any tourist brochures.  We waited in a line for hours at the San Antonio police station to see an officer and fill out the paperwork TSA would need at the airport.
     When I asked what would happen if someone handed in my ID, he laughed at me.  The officer actually laughed at me while I was standing right there.  Through his mocking snicker he replied, “We are in south Texas, Ma’am. With your dark hair and eyes, your license is more likely to be sold than returned.”
   
Well, then!!! Hmmph!
 I decided I would keep an eye on my credit report
               and pray if someone found my license, they would not use it for anything illegal.

I made it onto my plane without a problem.  I got a new driver's license when I got home. And basically, I forgot about my lost ID.

But God did not forget.  He holds my identity in His hand.

Seven months later, I got an odd looking envelope in the mail with yellow stickers across it. I opened the letter and there it was …….. my missing driver's license.  There was also a small note saying someone had dropped this into a mailbox in San Antonio.



God knew where my ID was the entire time.

No matter how bleak it looks, no one can steal our true identity.

You and I are children of God.

He sees you, My Friend!

I'm so sorry if you ever feel lost or far away from God.  Even when you don't feel His presence, He is still right there with you. He will show you the way to go, if you ask Him.
If you have a child or loved one who has lost his way, remember, nothing can change his identity or separate him from God’s love.  NOTHING

Romans 8:38 (NLT)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

Never Forget the Truth…..
Nothing and no one can ever be lost from “the God who sees”.