Tuesday, September 30, 2008

WHY THE NAME SOUGHT-OUT?

A couple of years ago, our pastor started a blog.

I had some things to say. But, I noticed that just about everyone that left comments on his posts had catchy "blog names."

I wanted one, too.

I tried to think of one that would describe my history with the Lord.

The closest word or phrase I could think of was pursued. Not exciting, but true. Bless God's heart. . . He has been pursuing me as long as I can remember. And for most of my life, I ran.

Like Forrest Gump, "I ran and I ran and I ran." I don't know if I was running like the wind like Forrest. But, I was definitely running.

So, I decided on the word pursued for my blog name. But before I had a chance to use it, God gave me a different name.

I was reading in my Spurgeon's devotion and I saw this:

You shall be called Sought-Out.

The passage is taken from Isaiah 62:12. And this is what Spurgeon had to say about the name, Sought-Out.

"The surpassing grace of God is seen very clearly in that we were not only sought, but sought-out. Men seek for a thing that is lost upon the floor of the house, but in such a case there is only seeking, not seeking out. The loss is more perplexing and the search more persevering when a thing is sought-out. We were mingled with the mire. We were as when some precious piece of gold fails into the sewer, and men gather out and carefully inspect a mass of abominable filth, and continue to stir and rake, and search among the heap until the treasure is found."

I would like to think that I was one of those things lost on the floor. But, I know that wasn't where I was. I was definitely lost in the sewer. A sewer of myself. A sewer of my wants, my needs, and of my fears. A sewer of wrong ideas and wrong beliefs.

And the sad part is, a sewer of my own choosing.

But, that didn't stop God. He waded right through the sewer to find me.

Amazing grace.

"Or, to use another figure, we were lost in a maze; we wandered here and there, and when mercy came after us with the Gospel, it did not find us at the first coming-it had to search for us and seek us out; for we as lost sheep were so desperately lost and had wandered into such a strange country that it did not seem possible that even the Good Shepherd could track our devious roamings. Glory be to unconquerable grace, we were sought-out! No darkness could hide us, no filthiness could conceal us; we were found and brought home. Glory be to infinite love-God the Holy Spirit restored us!"

I often wonder why He didn't quit. Why He didn't decide that I had roamed too far. That I had refused to be found one too many times. It really did take unconquerable grace to keep looking for me. To keep seeking me out. Don't ever think that it was me that wised up or got smart enough to come home.

It was all Him.

Thank-you, Good Shepherd for continuing to look for me.

"If the lives of some of God's people could be written, they would fill us with holy astonishment. Strange and marvelous are the ways that God used their case to find His own. Blessed be His name. He never relinquishes the search until the chosen are sought out effectively. They are not a people sought today and cast away tomorrow. Almightiness and wisdom combined will make no failures, they will be called, "Sought-Out." That anyone should be sought out is matchless grace, but that we should be sought out is grace beyond degree! We can find no reason for it but God's own sovereign love and can only lift up our heart in wonder and praise the Lord that this night we wear the name of "Sought-Out."

Since I have such a tendency to wander away; a tendency to go roaming toward the sewer again, thank God that I will forever be Sought-Out.

Because I am His and He is mine.


Those that know me and my back story, should take joy in the fact that He calls me Sought-Out.

How do I know He meant this name for me?

Because I know that I know that I know.....

When I realized I had been sought-out, fear went away. Remembering I am His Sought-Out, keeps the fear away.

Sorry this is so long. But it's pretty exciting to get a new name from the One who made me!




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