Rescue Mission

Lord thou hast here thy ninety and nine, are they not enough for thee?
But the shepherd made answer "This of mine has wandered far from me"

The scene was a small rescue mission
A side street on a sad side of town
Not the kind of a place where the rich say their grace
But the prayers of the hopeless are found
A lone candle was burning when he opened the door
On a room cold and bare as his soul
And crumpling into the last hard wooden pew
A life spinning out of control

This life that I'm living's not living
It seems I'm just living to die
So now at the end, to my time say amen
Sweet Jesus I'm asking you why
When it all fell apart, couldn't fix it myself
Where were you when I needed you most?
The small candle's glow in the dark seemed to grow
And a voice came whispering soft

You know, I never really left you when you turned your back on me
I kept walking right beside you, just where you couldn't see
'Cause the Father gave to me the care of all His chosen few
And I've never lost a one and I don't mean to start with you
'Cause the shepherd never leaves a lamb alone out in the cold
And you're the lost sheep I'm bringing back into the fold

It's still the same little mission
Still in the same sorry site
Not much has been changed since the night when he came
To put an end to his life
But a dozen candles are burning
On a room now clean, warm and bright
With bible in hand in the doorway he stands
And calls to the lost in the night

"I know Jesus lives way up in heaven
But He's come here to meet you tonight
Don't doubt for a minute that His hand was in it
When your steps brought you here to my light
So come and sit down and have a hot meal
And I'll tell you a story that's true
By the tale's end you'll have the answer my friend
As to why you think God has left you"

You know, He never really left you when you turned your back on Him
He kept walking right beside you even when your path grew dim
And He took the blows Himself that the world had meant for you
And He never asked for gratitude because you never knew
That the shepherd never leaves a lamb alone out in the cold
And you're the lost sheep He's bringing back into the fold

And all through the mountains thunder riven and up from the rocky steep
There arose a glad cry to the gates of heaven, "Rejoice I have found my sheep"