Easter Devotion 6

John 17:12, While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. I have kept those whom You have given Me. And none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

What is the most valuable thing you have ever lost? Does the thought of it still “stick in your craw,” as they would say? We are just a losing-things kind of people. We leave purses in dressing rooms, cell phones at restaurants, and books on airplanes.

If you’ve ever run over an Easter egg with your lawn mower in May, you totally understand the saying, “It’s as lost as last year’s Easter egg.” There always seems to be that one that was hidden just a little too well. How does that happen? Oddly enough, it’s the same way we get lost in life ourselves.

First, we take on too much, and things fall through the cracks. Sometimes we get a little too ambitious and hide more eggs than our little ones can ever hope to find. Have you ever found yourself biting off more than you can chew? Saying yes when everything in you wanted to say no? Making a home or work project just a little more complicated than it had to be? We have all been in that boat, my friend. Not only do we lose the things that fall through the cracks, but we also lose our sense of purpose and focus when we’re overwhelmed.

Second, we want to quit when things get difficult or even just boring. Have you ever tried to convince a three-year old to keep looking for eggs long after the fun is over? Sure, they were all excited about hunting for eggs when those eggs were sitting in plain sight on the mailbox. But we lose their interest with the ones hidden under the back porch. There comes a point in every little one’s life when a plastic egg is no longer worth the effort. And there comes a time in our lives when we’re so tired that we look around and think, “Why keep trying?”

If you feel as lost as last year’s Easter egg, know that Someone has come to find you. Read today’s verse again. Often called the “High Priestly Prayer,” the words in John 17:1-26 may just be the most passionate prayer in all of Scripture. It was Jesus’ prayer to the Father, immediately preceding His betrayal and arrest. And do you know who was on the heart and mind of Jesus as He made His way to the cross? It was you and me. As His days on earth were drawing to an end, the Son prayed to the Father for those of us who would be trying to navigate this broken world below. Can you imagine the love and tenderness in His voice when He uttered, “None of them is lost,” (verse 12).

Here is what we can know about our Savior: He has never taken on more than He could handle. We are not too much for Him. Our baggage is not too heavy. Our biggest problem never stumps Him. He isn’t bored when we bring the same worry to Him over and over. Our needs are not too draining. Our worries are not too overwhelming. Jesus knew all that we would be and all that we would do, and He still deemed us worthy of His death. When Jesus looked up to the Father and said, “None of them is lost,” He meant us. He meant you.