Have You Ever Lost God?

⁴¹Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. ⁴³After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it (Luke 2:41-43).

When Jesus was twelve-years-old, He wanted to get on with His Father's business while at the Passover in Jerusalem. The age when a Jewish boy became a man, their Bar Mitzvah, was not settled at the age of 13 until many years later than this, so the Passover mentioned above could have been Christ's coming of age. After the Feast of Passover was finished His parents assumed that He was with others of the massive caravan of people as they began the three-or four-day walk (80 miles) back to Nazareth. The walking to and from Jerusalem was highly communal and bonded communities like those in Nazareth. The passage says they went a day's journey before Joseph and Mary began to wonder where Jesus was (v. 44). When He didn’t come to the tent that first night, I can imagine that Joseph and Mary were beside themselves with worry. They had lost Jesus, the Son of God! It took them another day’s journey to get back to Jerusalem. Where would they look for Him? They spent the third day looking wherever they thought He could be. Finally, they found Him in the Temple precincts with the intellectuals or teachers of Israel, asking them questions that provoked new conclusions on Scripture. Asking questions about Scripture is a powerful way to bring light and change habits and thought patterns.

If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! (Job 23:3).

Of course, if you are a Christian, Scripture is clear that God is with us always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:28), what we are talking about is the intimate presence or the anointing of the Spirit. Many of us who are Christians have experienced times when the presence of God has lifted from our lives. Sometimes, we lose closeness to God due to the wrong turning in our lives. We thought the Lord was with us, but He hadn't come to the tent, He had other things in mind. When that happens, it is a good thing to stop and reflect on where you were when you last enjoyed walking with Him. What was it that caused you to lose the sense of His presence? 

It is not always a result of sin that causes us to sense distance from God. At times, it can be a lesson that the Lord is teaching us. When I came to Christ, my joy overflowed at the feelings of the closeness of the Holy Spirit. As time went on, though, the feelings dissipated. All of my plans were not the Lord’s plans. When you sign up to be a follower of the Lord Jesus, you are no longer the director of your life. The Lord is the Shepherd, and it is we who are the sheep. We are to follow Him, and He will lead us into pleasant pastures. We don't invite Him to walk along with us, He is the Shepherd, and we are to follow. This kind of life will not always be easy, but it will be fulfilling, especially when we arrive at our real home. Then, we'll see what God has been building in us and through us. This life is not all there is. C.S. Lewis once said,

When I invited Jesus into my life, I thought He was going to put up some wallpaper and hang a few pictures. But He started knocking out walls and adding on rooms. I said, “I was expecting a nice cottage.” But He said, “I'm making a palace in which to live.”

Like Jesus with Joseph and Mary, the Lord had plans that were different from my plans. He wanted to grow me up in the faith and to not rely on feelings of His closeness. Can I ask you, dear friend, did Christ go in a different direction and you are still wondering where He went? Go back to where you lost His presence and repent over any sin, and draw near to Christ. Keith Thomas.

This study is part of a more in-depth study found at this link: In Step with the Spirit.