Let me tell you about a time I felt completely lost. I was maybe four years old, shopping with my mom in Sears, remember Sears? Aisles and aisles towering over you. I remember being fascinated by some display on an end cap, maybe it was toys, I don't know, but I was totally zoned in. I looked at it for what felt like forever to a four-year-old, and then I turned around… and my mom was gone. Just… vanished. One second, the security of her presence was right there, the next, nothing but tall shelves and unfamiliar faces. Panic set in immediately. My heart started pounding. I felt so small, so incredibly alone, completely separated from the one person who meant safety. In that moment, I was truly lost.
Have you ever felt like that? Maybe not lost in a department store, but lost in life? Like you’ve taken your eyes off what matters for just a second, turned around, and suddenly felt… disconnected? Adrift? Maybe a little alone, even when surrounded by people?
That feeling? That sense of being lost, of separation? The Bible actually talks about it a lot. It’s the big story woven through all 66 books – from the perfect connection in the Garden of Eden, things went sideways, and humanity found itself in a kind of exile, separated from God because of sin. We were designed for closeness, for home, like a child holding their mom's hand, but ended up feeling lost and distant.
But here’s the incredible news, the thread of hope that runs from Genesis to Revelation: God is in the business of bringing people home! He doesn’t leave us lost. He’s not waiting for us to find our way back on our own. He comes after us, like a loving parent searching frantically for their lost child.
Listen to this amazing promise God gives His people when they were literally in exile, feeling forgotten. This is Jeremiah 29, verse 14. The NLT version says: “I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
Did you catch that? “I will be found by you.” God takes the initiative! He is actively working to bring us out of whatever exile we find ourselves in – whether it’s spiritual dryness, relational breakdown, or just feeling far from Him.
And when God brings people out of exile, He does incredible things we can pray into today:
1. He Restores Relationships. Exile feels lonely, like being lost. But God restores connection. Like the father running to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:20), the Father runs to us. God closes the distance sin creates, wanting that close relationship back with Him and others.
2. He Rebuilds Identity. It's easy to forget who we are, basing our identity on temporary things. God reminds us of our true worth. He calls us His “treasured possession… a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). That’s who you truly are in Him!
3. He Renews Purpose. Feeling purposeless is like exile. God doesn't just free us from something; He frees us for something. Like the Israelites were freed to build the temple (Ezra 1:3), God gives us purpose. Coming out of exile means stepping into His plan.
So, as we head into our prayer time, let’s grab hold of these truths. God is the God who finds us, who restores, who rebuilds, who renews. Let’s pray for anyone we know (including ourselves!) who feels like they’re in any kind of exile – spiritually, emotionally, relationally. Pray for them to experience God making Himself findable and bringing them home.
Let’s pray for a powerful revelation of our true identity in Christ. Ask God to tear down any false labels we’ve accepted and to solidify in our hearts that we are His treasured possession. Let’s pray for a fresh sense of God’s purpose. Ask Him to show us what He has freed us for in this season and give us the boldness to step into it.