I remember one time as a child, sledding down a hill near our home on “Woods Lane.”
There was a certain point at the bottom of the hill that I would stop.I guess I had a little more speed on this particular run because I went past that point and continued down the hill! I ended up in a big patch of thistles and thorns!I had cuts on my face and exposed skin. I also had several huge thorns stuck in my winter coat and pants. It was painful.This past weekend I heard a Preacher talking about the parable of the Lost Sheep.Luke 15 3 “Then Jesus told them this parable:4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”I can just imagine that Sheep is not only lost, but is stuck in the thorns.Yes, the Sheep wondered off. The Sheep put himself in the thorns.That’s the same with us.We take our eyes off Christ. We allow sin into our lives and we wonder off.We end up in the thorns.We try and find a way out. We just end up deeper in the patch. The more we struggle on our own, the more we are cut.However, Jesus comes to us. He removes each thorn.Thorns of sin.Thorns of rejection.Thorns of past hurt.Thorns of bitterness.He removes every thorn and His healing begins. Then, Jesus carries us on His shoulders, back home.Friend, I don’t know where you are. If you’ve wondered away from God, He wants to heal your soul. He wants you to come home.Let Him rescue you from the thorns.Prayer starter: “Father, I feel like I’m stuck in the thorns. I need You. I pray right now that You’re hand would reach to me. Heal my hurts. In Jesus name. Amen.”
