Good News for the Lost and Weak

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 34:11–16

The Shepherd Who Seeks

“I myself will search for my sheep and look after them.” 

(Ezekiel 34:11)

The good news of Advent is spoken first to those who are scattered, weary, and worn down. Through Ezekiel, God makes a startling promise: “I myself will search for my sheep.” God does not wait for the lost to return or the weak to recover their strength. He goes looking. This reveals the heart of Christian faith—that we can know and love God because God first loved and knew us (1 John 4:19). As John Stott reminds us, “Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return.” Advent begins not with our initiative, but with God’s.

The Shepherd God reveals does more than gather the lost; He restores the broken. “I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak” (Ezekiel 34:16). This is not forgiveness from a distance, but healing given with care and patience. God attends to wounds that have gone unattended and strengthens lives thinned by fear, failure, or exhaustion. Advent joy includes restoration—not just pardon, but renewal. God’s grace does not merely reset the past; it tends the present and rebuilds what has been damaged.

Good news means God comes looking for us—especially when we are scattered and weary. The Shepherd does not shame the lost sheep; He carries them home. As we wait for Christ’s coming, Advent invites us to trust this seeking love and to rest in it. Even now, the Shepherd is near—searching, gathering, healing, and leading His people toward life.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You that You seek us when we are lost and love us when we are weak. Bind what is broken among us, strengthen what is weary within us, and gather us into Your care. As we wait in hope this Advent, help us trust Your searching grace and rest in Your restoring love. Amen.