The God Who Finds Stuff
Have you ever been in a hunt for car keys? A missing earring? The match to a set of socks? If you are like most people, that’s happened before. And if you are like ME, it’s happened A Lot!
God Gets Another Name
How can we grow in the Lord in those times, and what does the maddening hunt for a lost item teach us about Gods’ character?
There are many names people have given God. For instance: Hagar called God the “God who sees.” Abraham called Him “The God who provides.” and I would like To add to that list. I want to add: the God who shows me where things are. Or a.k.a. the God who finds stuff. Stay tuned as we look at Gods many ways of revealing a list items hiding place to us, and what those events tell us about God! And our selves.
A couple days back I was preparing my bus for a trip, and somehow my favorite face mask (a requirement still, here in Michigan) disappeared. I searched in, around, and under the bus. Nothing. Still nothing two days later. Some things are never found.
But GOD knows where it is.
Why do we sometimes search and search and never find, and sometimes… God directs our path or mysteriously causes the item to reappear. Due to my constant “misplacement” of things this past week, I was thinking much about what God is saying about HIMSELF in those times when things we need seem to have disappeared before our very eyes!
Tale of the Lost Coin
Let’s look at a woman Jesus talked about in the Bible. (Her name could have been Joni)
Luke 15:8-9 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’
Here we have a gal who had ten coins, but ONE was missing. Clearly that item had great value to her, even if she already had 9 others! She lights a lamp to look for it because she refuses to wait until daylight. Her mind is restless until she finds that coin. She sweeps the entire house until it is found! Then she is jubilant and tells her friends all about it.
Recently I lost my AirPods. I would like to say this is an unusual event, but it is not I feel like I lose my AirPods all the time. At least I’m not alone. The kids on my bus are always losing their eye AirPods. And I have yet to find any AirPods they lost , which makes them the singular most lost and probably stolen item on my bus
It’s the stealing part that makes me nervous when I can’t find my AirPods. Because I always start to wonder if someone saw them and simply snatched them up like Gollum when he found the one ring inLord of the Rings. AirPods are so tiny and yet, so valuable , especially to teenagers.
I lost a set of AirPods just after spring break, following a trip to Texas. I knew I had them with me there, but didn’t remember seeing them afterwards. For one, my husband and I were quite ill immediately after that trip. Nobody was thinking about AirPods for a couple weeks.
When I Was finally ready to return to work, I began searching in earnest for those AirPods. I had not seen them in about three weeks, now. I looked in all the household places where I tend to place them. I scoured around next to my bed, on top of my dresser, in the drawer with pens. They were nowhere to be found.
Next, I began secondary searches: under couch cushions, under the bed, inside the suitcase. Nothing.
This is the point people tend to panic! The mind races. The heart starts beating. We try to revisit where we have been. In this case it had been a while so, other than Texas, I had no idea where and when I had the little buggers last!
This is the Stuff
Franceseca Battistelli wrote a song I can relate to, and maybe you can too.
The lyrics say:
“I lost my keys In the great unknown
And call me please Cuz i can’t find my phone
This is the stuff That drives me crazy
is the stuffThat’s getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big i’m blessed
This is the stuff That gets under my skin
But i’ve gotta trust You know exactly what you’re doing
Might not be what i would choose But this is the stuff you use
What Francescea saw in those little frustrations was that she needed to trust God and remember she is still blessed, despite lives’ inconveniences.
She also sang
“This is the stuff you use.”
Really? Lost keys and phones? Disappearing AirPods?
Does God use our silly mistakes?
Tale of the Missing Checkbook
Let me go on:
After I had scoured the house and my truck for the AirPods without luck, I remembered incidents from the past where God assisted in helping me find “stuff.”
Years ago, I was walking in the 80 acre field beyond my house enjoying the sunset of a brisk fall day. At the time, I totally forgot about the checkbook in my coat . (If you young folk aren’t familiar with a checkbook its a paper debit card. And YOU have to do the math on little sheets of paper to know how much is in it.) I could replace the checques, but the book where I tallied the amounts of cheques still floating around uncashed was extremely important in those days when we lived “paycheck to paycheck” as they say.
At one point some deer wandering through the tall grass frightened me with their snorts and hoof stamping. I ran towards the house, coat flapping besides me as I awkwardly galloped over the rough terrain.
I didn’t realize the checkbook was missing until the next day, once the kids were up and getting dressed for our outing to the store, I finally realized it was missing. I needed that checkbook! I was raising five rambunctious littles at the time and it was my lifeline to food, gas, and visits with friends.
Alas, the checkbook was not found, and we got by that day on whatever the cupboards contained. I was able to get a new set of cheques, but remained uncertain about my balance. We lived on a tight budget, and I tried to be careful with every penny.
Finally, I realized, it had to have fallen out of my coat the night a herd of deer spooked me. Husband and I wandered the grassy slopes and trails, searching diligently for hours to no avail. How could I go on without it!
I looked over at my husband as he completed his walk through the field, head down, carefully studying the ground. “Let’s pray!” I called to him.
“I AM praying,” he insisted as he kicked at the tall grass.
I understood, I’d been silently pleading with God to show me where the checkbook was the last 24 hours. The prayers produced nothing but silence and windswept hillsides.
Back at home I sat by the window, looking out beyond our house as the breeze swirled about the wild grass. I was done looking, but I whispered a prayer. “Lord, You know I need that cheque book. Please send it to me.”
A few minutes later I spotted a couple meandering through the field. Then they began to walk towards our house. That was odd. They didn’t look familiar.
Soon they were knocking on our door, holding out my slender brown l checkbook. “Is this yours?” The woman asked kindly.
“Yes!” I gushed. “We were looking and looking. How did you find it?”
“It was odd,” the husband replied. “For some reason we left the trail where we usually walk, and then I stepped on something that didn’t feel like dirt. Buried under thick grass was this checkbook. You would never have seen it without actually feeling it below your feet.”
I asked God to send it TO me, and He did!
But WHY didn’t God show US where it was when we were combing the hills in a frantic hunt? Hmmm.
Tale of the Hidden Keys
One more story may answer that.
This time I had indeed “Lost my keys in the great unknown.”
Once again it was time to leave, but not for a mere shopping trip. Oh No! This time we were ready to leave for our bi-monthly big event, going to the library and Homeschool group. This was a very significant trip me and my brood of five made twice a month. We looked forward to meeting with friends, exchanging our library books, and just being out of the house.
BUT the keys to the van were missing, and my husband, who was working out of town, had the spare set!
The kids and I were in an immediate swirl of activity as a crazed hunt for the keys ensued. For an hour the clocked ticked as we uncovered every drawer, every nook and every cranny, and the keys were simply no where to be found! The youngest may have carried them off, or ?? Who knows! My household in those days was busy and people from church streamed in and out throughout the week. Nothing stayed in one place very long.
Time was running out to find the keys and still make it to homeschool group. My little troup were fighting tears as they realized they would have to give up their bug day in the nearby city, A day they so looked forward to.
I gathered my kids around me.
“Let’s pray.” I said.
“I have been!” The oldest declared in frustration.
“No. No. We are going to STOP and pray.”
Not a one was interested in forgoing the key quest in the final moments of the hunt, but they knew by the firm tone I meant business so they meekly gathered around me in the dining room.
“Lets hold hands!”
I heard agitated sighs. Clearly the extra second it would take to hold hands was too much for them to bear.
“Close your eyes,” I instructed. The kids complied. “Let’s pray.” I started with a simple prayer asking God to show us where the keys were. My oldest son, Luke, then joined in with an impassioned plea begging for Gods help.
I smiled as his fervent prayer. I opened my eyes to see his face scrunched up as he intensely poured out his heart. It made me smile. Just then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look atop our upright piano. Directly beside me, at eye level,… were the keys!
I gently released my hands and quietly grabbed the set of keys from the piano, then held them in the middle of our prayer circle. Eyes were still closed as Luke completed his petition. Then I said “Amen.”
The kids opened their eyes and saw the keys!! There was great rejoicing! I quickly explained where they were before my brood scurried to the car as quick as possible to get to their homeschool group.
Tale of the Magical Re-appearing AirPods
So now, here I am, in a new world with debit cards and key codes. But I have to lose SOMETHING, and lately its been my AirPods.
And I had no where else to look, just as in those days.
And I remembered how we never seemed to find anything as long as we fretted and prayed. It seems the answer came when we stopped fretting, stopped panicking, and trusted God to hear our prayers.
Could it be, that as long as we “hunt and pray” we are really trusting in the hunt? In our own activity and strength, and not the Lord?
Having searched for my AirPods to no avail, I at last conceded defeat and simply asked the Lord to “show me where they were.” Then I walked away and went about my day.
Part of that day included picking up my daughter and her boys after an appointment. I set their car seats in the back seats of my truck, noticing only a clutter-free environment.
Once I was home again, I thought I should double check the back seats in case the boys left anything behind. They had not. But there, a small white object stood out against the grey carpet on the floor of the truck. My AirPods! I know I had looked there. I know I had looked under and besides the seats… bu suddenly it was lying there as though it had simply tired of playing “hide-and-go-seek” and now emerged where I could clearly see it. Or God moved it. He may have used my grandkids scurrying about to jog it loose, but either way, it was found.
After I quit, prayed, and rested in the outcome, it was found.
A New Way to Find Stuff
There are a lot more important things lost than keys and AirPods. We may have lost a loved one. We may have lost our way in life. We may have lost our peace of mind.
yet it seems the things lost in the great unknown can still be found the same way God asks us to find misplaced items.
Stop
Deep breath
Quiet your mind
Give Him time.
Then ask God for Help.
Walk away trusting Him.
Rinse and repeat.
The woman in the Bible swept her whole house to find a coin.Jesus used that parable to explain His heart for sinners:
Luke 15:10 “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
“Well,” You might say, “Lost souls are different than lost keys!”
For certain, Lost souls have eternal value to the Lord.
But know that whether its lost keys or a lost soul, God is letting us know HE is aware of them. He knows right where things are at. He knows HOW to find them. Panicking and pacing will Not produce the lost thing any sooner.
Just stop.
Deep Breath
Quiet your mind
Give Him time.
Then ask God for Help.
Walk away trusting Him.
Rinse and repeat.
Honestly, Just before creating this podcast I lost one tiny airbud and had to do the whole search-a-roo all over again. I thought it had fallen out while I slept so I stripped off the many layers of sheets and blankets, shaking them out and looking under the bed. Nothing. Then the “find my” app did not produce the chirping sound. In agitation I flung the pile of bedding back on top of the mattress.
“Great,” I murmured to the Lord, “Im about to do a podcast on how you find things and I’ve gone and lost my AirPods all over again.”
As the last word completed itself in my mind I looked over and there, directly next to me, atop the entire pile, it’s white-little self standing out against the navy blue sheet, was the missing air bud.
It felt so surreal.
It also felt God was reassuring me and YOU that He is indeed our great finder.
Turn Around and See
Even when YOU are the one who is lost.
Matt Maher sings:
“If you’re scared that you don’t matter
If you’re lost and need to be found
If you’re looking for a Savior
All you gotta do is turn around” ~”Turn Around” by Matt Maher
If you are lost today, it’s time to be found! God knows right where you are at. He is with you. To see Him, all you have to do is turn around.
If you have a story on something you lost and found, email me at joni@stormingthegates.net! You can also sign up for the Newsletter and be the first to know when a new podcast drops! The Newsletter includes a Bible Study to dig a bit deeper, and meditate a bit longer, on each podcast! I look forward to hearing from you.
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Francesca Battistelli “This is the Stuff”. https://youtu.be/Xe4SckesWLE
Matt Maher “Turn Around”. https://youtu.be/m7CMdcPub5A
Music: Hard Fought Battle by Purple Planet
