Huh? OK, obviously He knows I'm a geek and He spoke to me in my language...I did have to ask Him if He was speaking of my relationship with Him or my relationship with the church. He said the church, and it all made perfect sense to me.
In order to share it more effectively, I went to Wikpedia for some articulate definitions. Here's an abbreviated version of what I found.
404 or Not Found error message is an HTTP standard response code indicating that a client was able to communicate with the server, but the server either could not find what was requested, or was unwilling to fulfill the request for it and did not wish to reveal the reason why.
URL redirection is a technique on the world wide web for making a web page available under many URLs. URL redirection may be used to redirect a URL to a page on the same web server. Or it may be used to redirect a URL to a web page on another web server. In the HTTP computer protocol used by the World Wide Web, a redirect is a response with a status code beginning with 3 that induces a browser to go to another location.
So in the 404 error, with me being the client and the church being the server...I have been frustrated, complaining that the server refuses to meet my needs...and the church just gives me the excuse that it can't give me what I have asked for because it can't find it, or it just says "No" and refuses to tell me why.
In the redirect, the client or browser (me) is being told to go to another page on the same server (a different place in the same church) or to got to another server altogether (another church).
So I decided to do some research. I went to BlueLetterBible and first looked up the word "direct". I came up with a Vine's entry and three verse references.
Direct: Strong's #2720 kateuthuno "to make straight" (kata, "down," intensive, euthus, "straight," euthuno, "to straighten"), is translated "guide" in Luk 1:79, of the Lord's "guidance" of the feet of His people; "direct," in 1Th 3:11, of His "directing" the way of His servants; in 2Th 3:5, of His "directing" the hearts of His saints into the love of God.
But what I found under "lost" (I tried "not found" and "missing" first...no contextual luck) was interesting...it was more work to weed through the matches, but via John 18:9, I ended up at Jeremiah 23: 1-4:
"Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD. "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD."Just to check my understanding...I went to Matthew Henry at BLB for Jeremiah 23:1-8. I won't quote it here because I want you to go see for yourself. in any case, quoting it would likely give the wrong impression.
I'm not one who takes joy in or gloats over God's perceived wrath...in this case against Pastors who have not cared for their flocks...I make no broad accusations or judgments...I know so many of them do their very best and it is the expectations of the flock that often cause the problems (including me).
I only take away from this that God is paying attention to what is going on, and He knows of the "missing sheep" and will see to their care.
I like that.
I still don't know where I'll be but I know He's preparing the way for me to return. I am no longer one of the "missing" but one of the "moving on".
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