“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. – Luke 15:17-20
INTRODUCTION
The younger son, like many who are rebellious and immature, wanted to be free to live as he pleased, and he had to hit bottom before he came to his senses. It often takes great sorrow and tragedy to cause people to look to the only One who can help them – Jesus. Are you trying to live life your own way, selfishly pushing aside any responsibility or commitment that gets in your way? Stop and look before you hit bottom. You will save yourself and your family much grief.
In this story, the father watched and waited. He was dealing with a human being with a will of his own, but he was ready to greet his son if he returned. In the same way, God’s love is constant and patient and welcoming. He will search for us and give us opportunities to respond, but He will search for us and give us opportunities to respond, but He will not force us to come to Him. Like the father in this story, God waits patiently for us to come to our senses.
Imagine The Prodigal Son’s Disposition Upon His Return.
- He was most likely preparing himself for some harsh discipline from his father. After all, his share of the inheritance was now officially squandered. He knew he had messed up and probably prepared his heart for the worst kind of punishment. The son confessed to what he had done, ready for whatever retribution came next. But there was not one word of condemnation from his father.
- Instead, the father dressed him in fine clothing and placed a ring on his finger. Surely the prodigal son felt unworthy, but all the father wanted him to do was to return home to his family where he belonged.
- The son’s heart posture wasn’t to return as a son but as a worker and a servant. While he was still on his faraway journey, he reasoned, My father’s workers get treated better than this. I will return as a worker in humility.
- D. The son had a humble and repentant heart. He knew he had made a grave mistake, and he didn’t have a heart of entitlement. God’s mercy is magnified even more when we return to Him with a heart of repentance, humility, and realizing our need for Him. When we hit bottom and realize our desperate need for God, the only place we want to be is home. We’ve all been in that wandering place. That place we swore to ourselves we’d never fall back into once we dedicated our lives to Christ. Sadly, some of us stay in that place, thinking there’s no possible way that God could take us back after what we’ve done. We are hesitant to be exposed to the light — His light — because of all the things we allowed to pile up in the darkness.
Surrendering every broken part of ourselves feels like a mountain of a task that is just too unbearable to take on, so we resist and isolate from Him. But
if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. — 1 John 1:9 (ESV)
Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22.
Come Back to God, And Stay with Him.
Like the loving father in the story of the prodigal son, our heavenly Father is also watching and waiting for all who have turned away to come back home to Him. He is always keeping a close eye on His people, whether it’s for a child returning home or for a heart not yet surrendered.
Maybe that’s us today. We have wandered off and looking around and asking ourselves:
- How did I get here?
- Why do I feel so empty?
- Why does God feel so far away?
I want to encourage you with this: He has not left or abandoned us. It doesn’t matter what we have done or where we have been or how far we have wandered away. His door is open to us.
Life without Christ will always leave us wounded and wandering down paths we never meant to travel down.
His goodness is designed to lead us into changed and repentant hearts. Understanding God’s love and goodness is key to understanding who we are in Him so we can grow in our relationship with Him.
Let’s remember, faith and trust are required.
We won’t always feel valuable to God. The Enemy blatantly attacks our feelings and tries to convince us that what we “feel” is what our reality is. We are not going to do this without living by faith and trust, because those counterproductive feelings do come — those little insecurities, needing to fit in and wondering how people feel about us.
Conclusion
God isn’t the father who is sitting inside with arms crossed, displeased with contempt and anger; rather, He is the Father who is sprinting toward us with open arms when we come back after realizing how far we’ve wandered. His love is displayed in His beautifully orchestrated plan of redemption to save our lost souls. Jesus died for us and paid the price for our sin. God is always searching for us, always keeping His loving eye on us. Before we even make it to His throne, He has already met us halfway.
Culled from Faithgateway.
Stay blessed!
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