I’ve been wondering lately.
Challenging the thought that somewhere along the way of my faith journey I found God.
As if God can somehow get lost.

I pray you know I’m not attempting to brush off the language we use to describe our encounters with God. I won’t pretend I have the words to express what it is like when the Extraordinary meets the ordinary. We do our best with the language we speak. But this is literally how my mind works. I hear or see something in the world and it causes me to question. So bear with me as I wonder and wander aloud.

You see, I believe in a God that knows where I am at all times. God is not surprised or taken aback when I head to places I shouldn’t go. There’s no wringing of hands in the heavenly realms when I make a wrong turn or have no idea where I am. I sort of see it more like the voice on the GPS calmly saying, “recalculating… recalculating…”

Recently I’ve been reading a book that actually encouraged the readers to practice getting lost. I almost shouted aloud, Are you crazy! There are all kinds of dangers in getting lost. Sides of town where violence happens regularly. Wilderness areas where bears might eat me. Places where no one speaks my language. Getting lost is dangerous!

I myself like “controlled” danger. You know things like hiking, but always staying on the trail. Or climbing with ropes in case I fall. I might not mind getting lost as long as there is a guide who knows how to get me out of wherever I wander. I want assurance that at the end of the season all my lost is wrapped up in the happy ending of being found.

Once Jesus fed five thousand with a few loaves and fish. The crowd’s hunger was satisfied that day, and they decided to make him an earthly king. Since this was their plan and not God’s, Jesus slipped off into the hills by himself. Meanwhile the disciples waited on the shore. When they got tired of waiting, and darkness fell, they hopped into the boat and began to row across the lake.

After rowing three or four miles a storm picked up, and Jesus showed up walking on water. He assured the disciples, “Don’t be afraid, I am here!” He got into the boat, and they instantly arrived at their destination.

Perhaps this story is an answer to my wrestling. Lost is a feeling. a fear. an unsure or not knowing where I’m located. I’m less likely to get lost physically than emotionally or spiritually, but there’s no need to fret because I have a guide. Someone who knows exactly where I am at all times and is willing to reveal my location when I seek him.

Maybe the first step is acknowledging I have no idea where I am. Like the disciples, there are times I wait on the shore, but the waiting gets old. I get restless. I want an end to the hard or the painful. I want to go somewhere even if I have no clue where that is.

Can you imagine the waiting disciple’s conversation? Where did Jesus go? How long do we wait? Should we head to the hills and look for him? What if we get lost, or eaten by bears? It’s getting dark we have to do something. Let’s get in the boat. Where should we go? How will Jesus know where we are? I think we should stay right here. No! I think we should go.

In the end they did get in the boat. They were headed to Capernaum when a storm blew in. The rough seas made the going tough and slow. Is it possible God used the storm to redirect their path or slow their progress?

Just when they began to panic.
When they might have questioned their decision to get in the boat.
There’s Jesus.
Walking on stormy waters.

Jesus wasn’t distressed like a parent whose child wandered away. He never screamed, “Where are you?” He knew exactly where his crew was and how to find them. He didn’t need a map or trail or road. He showed up walking on water in a storm without any angst or worry. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. Then he climbed into the boat along with them. Immediately they arrived exactly where they were supposed to be.

Just a few verses later Jesus tells the crowd, “I AM the bread of life.” He goes on to share his purpose for coming and being.

And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up on the last day.

John 6:39 NLT

Friends, I hope you hear this. God cannot be lost… nor can you for that matter. Oh, you may feel dislocated. You may wonder where in the world you are. You may be scared or disoriented or tired of the waiting. While it’s hard to admit, acknowledging we’re lost and seeking God’s help might be the very invitation God is waiting for. It’s like asking Jesus to get into the boat. When we do, we discover we are exactly where we are supposed to be.

May you be blessed with assurance that no matter how long the waiting or the stormy conditions, Jesus knows exactly where you are.