Lost Sheep and Answered Prayer

This is something my wife wrote and sent out in an email.

Hello!

Over a month ago we lost Mr. Ellie, Seth's favorite, beloved stuffed elephant who is 'well-loved,' and VERY 'real.' (If you've ever read the Velveteen Rabbit, you'll know what I mean by 'real,' loved so much and so heartily you are not so good looking any more.) Seth has been very sad about this and has refused to sleep with a replacement animal.

Yesterday we were reading the Bible story about Jesus going after the one lost sheep and that brought to mind Mr. Ellie. We talked about how sad we were that he was lost and how we had looked everywhere we could think of but still hadn't been able to find him. Tears welled up in Seth and Isaac's eyes. Then it occurred to me to ask him if he had prayed to find the elephant. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!)

He said he had not and I told him, "Why don't we pray now that the God who loves to find the lost would help us." So we did. They could not pray because they were choked up so I prayed for us all.

A little while later, it occurred to me to look in our bin that holds coats, hats, etc. that we were getting ready to put away, wondering if he might have been thrown in there by mistake. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!) I had no natural reason to look there.

Well I forgot to look right away...

So later, when I was talking to Robert, the thought came to me again to look in the bin. (I wonder where that thought came from? Ha!) So I started emptying it out and lo and behold, THERE WAS MR. ELLIE!!! You should have seen me. I was ecstatic! Such a tender and obvious answer to our prayer.

When Seth saw that elephant, JOY was written all over his face. He hugged that elephant like he would NEVER let it go again. Tears were in his eyes (and would be off and on for quite awhile). We talked about, with much praise and rejoicing, how Jesus had helped us to find our 'lost sheep,' just like the Bible story that morning. I know this memory will imprint that story and the Lord's love for us and the lost indelibly on my mind. (And I pray that it will also be stored in the hearts of my 2 small children who witnessed this answer to prayer.) That He cares enough to help us find a lost stuffed elephant speaks volumes since, in the eternal scheme of things, stuffed animals are low in priority I would imagine!

So I send out this story as an offering of praise to a wonderful Holy God who cares about the minute details of my life and my family's lives. To the God Who cared enough to send His only Son, Jesus, to die for sins of all (including mine) so the lost could be saved if they would believe in Him! Thank Father and Jesus for the sacrifice You made on our behalf.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!" John 3:16-17

May God treat you as tenderly today as He treats me!
Love,
L

Tags:
Prayer, Parenting