Some paths in life are lonely. Maybe lonely isn’t the right word. We’re never really alone. It’s more like you’re on a deserted highway that no one else seems to be traveling. A place of solitude even when there’s a crowd around you. It’s not painful, just uncomfortable. Your destination is unknown and so is the terrain. You know you’re looking for something specific. Not just anything is going to satisfy this hunger in you. You need answers to life’s big questions. Time is going by and you literally are in your own lane. Has anyone ever been there? Jesus, Himself, walked several of these paths. 

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town (‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬ NLT). There was a crowd there trying to get a glimpse of Him. He had already done miraculous things they had heard about. Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus too. Zacchaeus was in his own lane in life. He wasn’t part of the mainstream. He wasn’t welcomed. He was a chief tax collector and very rich from making money off of the common people. I’m sure he felt very uncomfortable. It wasn’t like anyone was going to offer him a premium seat. But yet, something inside him pleaded within himself to be there. What if? He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” (‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭3-5‬ NLT) Jesus knew his name! Jesus saw him! He saw all of him. Could this be what all the buzz was about? Zacchaeus just wanted a glance at Jesus but he had no earthly idea that the One he sought could see straight into his heart. This was indeed the Jesus that everyone was talking about! This was a game changer. It is an understatement to say that this life encounter completely changed his life. Jesus knew His mission and He knew what He was looking for. Zacchaeus only hoped that he could see physically what nobody thought possible to see spiritually. All the money Zacchaeus had accumulated was no match to fill the void of an empty heart that a divine encounter with Jesus filled. He had found true treasure and was willing to give up the counterfeit. Jesus summed it up best. “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” (‭Luke‬ ‭19‬:‭10‬ NLT) He’s seeking! This is His mission. These barren terrains we travel are the Lord’s mission fields. They are not accidental. 

Sometimes people are lost and don’t even know it. There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death (‭Proverbs ‬‭14‬:‭12‬ NLT). You can literally be on a road and have an unquenchable thirst for revelation. You know you’re thirsty but can’t make it stop. The good news is that Jesus sees you. He sees your fragile condition. He sees the life beaten out of you by this world. Like Zacchaeus, He cares too much to leave you in this compromised state. He has much better plans for you. He has a specific purpose for you. “But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” (‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ NLT) He will orchestrate events in your life to cause a deliberate encounter with Him. You’re not on this seemingly deserted highway for no reason. There’s a divine intersection just up the road and Jesus will meet you there. He’s looking for you!

Life’s occurrences do not happen by chance. God knows what you need and exactly when you need it. He wants to be your personal Savior. The only way to have a personal relationship instead of just making an acquaintance is by looking for something specific in the other party and vulnerability on your part. We have to let our guards down. The original Hebrew describes Jesus as “El Roi”. This translates to “the God who sees me.” And believe me, He sees you! He loves you. He wants to be in relationship with you. Everything was created through him and for him (Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬ NLT). This tells me that this life will not make any sense at all without Jesus being in His proper place. All the emptiness, all the let downs and all of the searching needs to lead only to one place. We may not know exactly what we’re looking for in this world but the One looking at us knows. That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬ NLT).

Today’s guest writer is Brandi Crowe. A hairdresser for over 25 years, she is currently the owner of Brandi Crowe salon in Buford, GA. She loves hiking, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with family and friends. Brandi lives in a custom farmhouse with her husband Robby and cat Harold.