The Lost Sheep

"Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine. Are they not enough for Thee?"
But our Shepherd made answer "This of mine hath wandered away from me,
And though the road be rough and steep, I go to the desert to find my sheep."

None of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed,
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through to find His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry, sick and helpless and ready to die.

And over the mountains, thunder-riven, and out on the rocky steep,
They heard a glad cry at the gates of heaven: "Rejoice! I have found my sheep!"
The angels echoed around the throne: "Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own!"
"Rejoice! For the Lord brings back His own!"

~Andrew Peterson