All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

As I read this verse today I was reminded of Sinatra’s “My Way”-

And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Sinatra’s lyrics are confident and defiant. He is proud, even at the end of his life, of living life on his own terms. “I did it my way.”

“My Way” tells the story of men and women who have “gone astray” thinking that their way is preferable to God’s way and so many are lost.

Lost sheep are all around us and Jesus knew the power of a good story –

So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

Luke 15:3-4

All of us are like that one lost sheep. Every one of us, in our own way, are bent on doing things our own way, don’t you agree? This is why the LORD put our sins upon Christ on the cross. In Romans 3, Paul draws from the Psalms as he writes –

“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”

Romans 3: 10-12

Not even one.

Still, the Good Shepherd finds us –

And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:5-7