The Lost Coin

This little parable appears between the two better known ones of the lost sheep and the prodigal son and is often overlooked, but it struck me recently how special this story is. It implies that the coin was part of a collection, the woman’s savings perhaps, or a wedding decoration, and somehow it had got lost. It was so precious to her that she spent money on expensive oil to light her lamp and then laboured to sweep the house in order to find it.

My daughter made a commitment to the Lord when she was in her teens but during her time at university wandered away as she made friends who were not Christians. She became involved in sports and, by her own admission, some things that were ungodly. One day she was riding in a taxi with a Christian driver who said to her, “God misses you, Becky”. There was no accusation, just that simple statement, but it was enough to hit home. She didn’t change overnight, but a year later she was going to church again and loving the Lord as He loves her.

So often in our daily lives we get side-tracked and drawn away by the seemingly more attractive activities in the world, but our faithful and loving God never loses sight of us and, because He misses us, He searches for us diligently until He finds us - or rather we find Him again.

Prayer: Dearest Father, please forgive me that I stray so often. Please help me to realise that You miss me when I am away from You and that You are always ready to draw me back into Your loving arms. I am so thankful for Your love and mercy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.