Never Lost

Our friend's ferret escaped and is having a party in the great outdoors. So Asherel and I have changed our walking routes the past few days to hunt for the ferret. If you have ever seen ferrets, you know they can squish through impossibly small spaces, turning their bones into liquid. They move like they are made of water. And so, they can hide anywhere. Asherel and I split up. She took the lower neighborhood and I took the upper. We were told to scan hedges and border plants, as that is where the ferret was most likely to hang out.

I got a text from Asherel early on in her hunt: "This is impossible! How are we ever going to find him?"
I remembered the old Star Trek show we had just seen the night before. It was about Spock and a few crew members lost on a planet without any communication. Captain Kirk, in the starship Enterprise, was circling the planet, a huge planet. He had to try to find them by actually spotting them, seeing their tiny speck on that huge planet, since communication was down.
"It is like finding a needle in a haystack!" cried one incredulous searcher.
Of course, in the end, Kirk miraculously finds Spock and it ends well.
I texted back to Asherel: "While you are walking, be praying. And remember Star Trek!"

I also thought of Jericho, and how God commanded the Israelites to spend seven days silently circling the city. God could have annihilated the enemy Himself in a split second. But for reasons we are not likely to fully understand *ever*, he required that the Israelites march without attacking, seemingly fruitlessly, seven times around the city. The point seemed to be that the Israelites were to trust God and obey...and leave the results to Him. I don't know why I thought of that, but I felt that what I was called to do in the Ferret Hunt was just march around the neighborhood. I decided I would do it for seven days. God knows where the Ferret is, and if He wants it found, it will be found. Our role is just to trust God, do what He asks, and leave the results to Him.

I feel really bad for the ferret owner. I know he is sad about his lost ferret. I wish our lives were all not so prone to loss and regrets. There are always issues that threaten to sink my happy ship. I am often only a memory away from wrenching sorrow. So much of what surrounds me seems as hopeless as the wandering ferret. I could easily wallow in despair, feeling adrift and rudderless in a sea of sorrow. But God sees me. He knows exactly where I am. In His eyes, I am never lost, and I am certainly not without the aid of His Power. Perhaps the best I can do is march and keep my eyes open.

Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.





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