Leaving the Ninety-Nine to Find the One
If you haven’t listened to the song “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury, you’ve gotta be living under a rock — or maybe you aren’t into contemporary Christian music; I know I wasn’t until recent months. Although being in the Christian/Gospel genre, this anthem has taken the country by storm. Remember “I Can Only Imagine” by Mercy Me? ’Twas monumental to say the least. “Reckless Love” might not be on that level (yet), but it sure seems to be headed in that direction.

The song speaks to its audience in more ways than one, but the powerful message it delivers is rather simple. Jesus’ love for us is so great that He left the ninety-nine to find the one (aka you and I). Not sure what I’m referring to? Luke 15:4–7 tells us a story that Jesus told to a group of tax-collectors and sinners. He speaks of how a farmer has 100 sheep and one of them gets lost. Should the farmer (His audience) leave the other ninety-nine sheep to find the one that was lost? Jesus says that’s exactly what they should do, “… continue to search until they find it,” because when it is found they will be overcome with joy. They will carry the sheep home and brag to their family and friends because they found their lost one. Jesus ends with, “In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change their ways. There is more joy for that one sinner than for the ninety-nine good people who don’t need change.” Pretty powerful stuff, huh?
In relation to the song “Reckless Love”, Asbury shares, “When I use the phrase, ‘the reckless love of God,’ I’m not saying that God Himself is reckless. I am, however, saying that the way He loves is, in many regards, quite so. His love bankrupted heaven for you. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. His love isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He’ll gain or lose by putting Himself out there. He simply gives Himself away on the off-chance that one of us might look back at Him and offer ourselves in return. The recklessness of His love is seen most clearly in this — it gets Him hurt over and over. Make no mistake, our sin pains His heart. Yet He opens up and allows us in every time. His love saw you when you hated Him — when all logic said, ‘They’ll reject me,’ He said, ‘I don’t care if it kills me. I’m laying My heart on the line.’”
On a more personal level, I found this song when I was in a pretty low place. Particularly with school, but really just with life in general. Being an overall positive person, I was lost and confused. Any time I started feeling down or questioning where I was at in the current moment, I would open up Apple Music and blast it. I would instantaneously get lost in the lyrics and be reminded that I was where I was meant to be, and that God’s plan for me was to be exactly where I was. That He would always know where to find me when I was lost. I had to find peace and understanding in that — talk about soul searching. To be comforted by a song felt odd at first, but before I knew it, it was my favorite thing to do. It’s the strangest thing (in the best way) to be loved so much by someone I’ve never physically met because that’s what we’re used to in this life. Also, to think that I was, at one point, that one out of ninety-nine that He searched for and found is perplexing.
Hopefully I’ve sparked some sort of interest in the song that has moved so many. Below is the link to the song with lyrics, that way it’s easier to follow and digest. Grab your headphones, and prepare to have a new favorite/uplifting go-to.
