It's here: Part 9 of the 9 part series - how to get prayers answered
The Rhythm of The Gospels - D27
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
7/28/20262 min read
He Knows What a Shepherd Does When One Is Missing.
The God who doesn't do the math on you — Matthew 18:12
"What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?" — Matthew 18:12 (NKJV)
The disciples had just asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Jesus had pulled a child into the circle. He had talked about humility and about not causing the little ones to stumble. And then, as though to press it all the way to its core, He asked: what do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and one goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one?
I know the math doesn't make sense. Any rational shepherd will tell you that one percent is acceptable attrition. You don't risk ninety-nine to recover one. That is the calculation of a world that runs on numbers. Jesus was describing a shepherd who doesn't do that calculation. Who looks at the empty place in the flock and cannot rest until it is filled.
The mountains are a difficult terrain. They are places without clear paths, where predators move, where a person can lose their footing and their direction. The shepherd goes there. Searches until he finds it. And when he finds it, he carries it back. And he rejoices over that one more than over the ninety-nine who never needed to be found.
Jesus placed this parable here because He wanted to be unmistakable: it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Not the one who wandered. Not the one who got lost. Not even the one who stopped showing up and no one went looking for. The Father knows what a shepherd does when one is missing. He goes to the mountains.
Think of someone in your circle who has gone missing from faith, who has drifted, gone quiet, stopped showing up. You may not be able to bring them back. But you can go to the mountains. A text, a call, a knock on a door. Be the shepherd today for someone who doesn't know they're being searched for.
Scripture Promise:
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." — 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
Prayer:
Father, thank you for sending Jesus to look for me when I was lost. Help me to show that same kindness to someone else. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Stay in Rhythm. Stay in Grace.
Join us for daily encouragement and growth.
Email US
© 2025. All rights reserved.