Compassion to Restore
Luke 15:20
So he (Prodigal Son) got up and went to his father. But while the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.
The parable of the Prodigal Son is a beautiful story of a young man who asked for his inheritance so he could spend it on wild living. Just asking for his inheritance was an insult to the father, but his intentions were much worse. He chose to waste his fortune on temporary things that satisfied the flesh and were blatant sins to God. Who among us is not guilty of such living at times or have loved ones who have who have wandered?
The young man is a son – already a member of the father’s family and an heir. He is best seen as a Christian who has been foolish and wandered from the safety of the Father’s care. Through his riotous living, the Devil consumed his fortune. Any time we turn to something for comfort or satisfaction other than God, we run the same risk of being consumed because dependence on anything other than God is idolatry. Satan uses idols to deplete us of what is rightfully ours and literally send us to the pigs.
Fortunately, this young man came to his senses and realized that he would be fed in his father’s house. We would be wise to do the same. If the Devil has consumed us in any area, we need only to turn toward our Father and start finding our way back to Him. When we turn from our idols and dependence upon other things, God sees us and comes running out to meet us. We don’t have to earn our right to be blessed back from Him. He has compassion on our emptiness and immediately begins to bless us by meeting our needs. His heart is toward us and not against us!
Many of us come to God with a mindset that we have to earn our way into His heart again, and this young man was no different. He asked to come back as a slave. The Father, however, wanted his son back, and He immediately began treating him as a son. The Father will do the same for you. Expect Him to meet you with blessing and continue to bless you as His child.
Such grace and favor seem contrary to the system of the world. God’s ways are higher than our ways, and we are the beneficiary of His great wisdom. Somehow, when we receive freely what we do not deserve, His grace is the very thing that keeps us faithful to Him. Grace – real grace – does not give us a license to sin; it helps us overcome sin, never to return. Find wholeness in His compassion today. God’s grace is more than sufficient to meet every need you have, and there is no reason to turn elsewhere. God is your Father!
Have a blessed day!