Search And Rescue | Northstar Church

“Then call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.”” — Psalm 50:15.

The movie Lion is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, a young boy born in an impoverished village in India. Saroo and his older brother Guddu often searched for food and coins on trains to help their struggling mother and sibling survive. Searching for his missing brother Guddu, Saroo falls asleep on a train while waiting for his brother to hopefully return. When he wakes up hours later he is hundreds and hundreds of miles away from home with no idea where home is. He is scared, alone and calls for his brother and mother.

Psalm 69:3 (TLB) says, “I’m hoarse from calling for help, Bleary-eyed from searching the sky for God.” In other words, I’m getting tired of the search. I’ve been searching for healing for my marriage, but we’re still at odds. I searched to get ahead in life, but I feel like I’m falling more behind. And no matter how hard I search, I still can’t find what I want.

Some of you are on a spiritual search. You’ve called out to God, and even God seems hard to find. I think there are scores of people who are realizing that there must be more to life. I think there may be some of you today who have said “Surely there must be a God, but how do I know what to believe? If there is a God, how do I even find Him?”

The good news is when you seek God, you will find God. Saroo kept on searching and didn’t give up. While on a desperate search for his family, thankfully Saroo was adopted by an amazing couple in Australia. And while he was loved, he also had a deep desire to find the home where he came from. He estimates that he spent close to 10,000 hours searching for the family that he had lost.

Each of us has something we are searching for. We want peace, healing, a new job, a relationship, restoration and there is a longing in our hearts. The key is to not give up. Do not let anything discourage you to quit. One of the sweetest parts of the movie is that Saroo’s mother never gave up hope. The God you are searching for is actually searching for you. God is searching for you today.

Whether you have known the Lord for many years or you are just beginning your new life in Him, you can be that person who will passionately seek God and listen to the Holy Spirit. You can be that person who can actively make a difference in the lives of hurting people.

Discussion Questions:

The characters in the movie exhibited compassion, gratitude and perseverance. How have you seen those characteristics benefit you in your journey towards/with Jesus?