When God Ran

Luke 15:12-13 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

My wife’s favorite story in the Bible has always been the parable of the prodigal son because the young man, who forsakes his father and faith to live a lavishly wasteful lifestyle, comes to his senses eventually, turns from his self-centered ways of pleasure and returns to his father. Everybody loves a story with a happy ending like that. With a culture that promotes self-indulgence and a secular society that entices, tempts, and lures children that have been loved, prayed for, nurtured, protected, educated and disciplined in the respect and admonition of the Lord, it is a reality that many leave everything to chase after the temporary and fleeting pleasures of the god-rejecting world system. I've read how this leaves parents and family greatly burdened for their souls, praying that they would come to the end of themselves, trust Christ and come home. I've heard of grandparents paying for decades for a grandchild to see the errors of their ways, repent and come to Christ.

Luke 15:17-20 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

In the parable (representing God toward the repenting child) the father ran to the formerly prodigal son with open arms and there was a celebration because (as the Father tells the other son in verse 31), “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.” Many would just write these people off, but not our Creator God. Why? Ezekiel 18:23 tells us: “Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord God, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live?” The heavenly hosts agree. Jesus tells us in Luke 15:7 and10: “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Prodigal children are wasting their lives by chasing after the temporal pleasures of the world and do not face the difficult reality that they face eternal condemnation. Silence is not golden when it comes to sin. Parents should never give up praying for, preaching to, and pleading with their children to trust Christ and come home, where true love is found and they will be overwhelmingly welcomed by their heavenly Father and their earthly family. Years ago, we heard a young man at our church sing a song about the joy of God when the prodigal son returned. It instantly became one of my favorite songs. I have added the song as an attachment for you to hear. May we never lose the image of God running to us also, and may we never give up on the prodigal sons and daughters in our lives today.    

In Christ, Brian