The Father's Welcome

A few days ago, I was reading a book by Francine Rivers. One of the scenes was about a teenaged daughter that had been missing for two years. She had been running from God, running from her family and in rebellion, trying drugs, sex, and alcohol to fill the void of her life. At the end of two years of hard living, being used and abused by others, she ended up homeless and digging from garbage cans to find enough food to sustain herself. She was too ashamed and too afraid to return home. Finally, someone convinced her to go and bought her a bus ticket.

When she returned she was expecting rejection and judgment from her parents. But what she got instead were two broken-hearted parents that desperately wanted to welcome her and shower her with love. In one scene her dad let out an anguished moan, picked her up, and hugged her. He cried and cried and cried over her. My parent-heart and my grandparent-heart resonates with that scene. I couldn't help but bawl when I read it.

I've not been through anything like that with my children but I can imagine the pain. And I can imagine the desperate desire of a parent to shower love onto their prodigal child. One of the greatest lies of the enemy is to make a prodigal think that he or she will not be welcomed home. Sadly, that’s true in many cases because human parents are often messed up, hurting people, and are incapable of showing forgiveness and love.

But when it comes to your Heavenly Father, the exact opposite is true. The Bible makes that abundantly clear. When a person turns back to God, God welcomes him home with open arms and wants to weep over him with a heart bursting with love and welcome. Oh, there are so many people that would return to God if they only knew how they would be received by Him, but they believe the enemy's lies.

The story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 tells of a young Jewish man who asked his father to give him his inheritance early. It didn’t take long for this stupid boy to leave home and use up all of his money on wild living. Eventually, he found a job doing one of the lowest and most humiliating jobs of his culture; feeding pigs, considered unclean by Jews. He was so hungry even the pigs’ food looked appetizing to him. Fully ashamed of his behavior, he finally mustered up the courage to return home, not expecting a warm welcome. At best he was hoping his father might hire him as a servant.

But a father’s heart was already at work. Verse 20 says, “while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” The fact that the father saw from a distance indicates that he was watching for his boy. Then he ran to his son. For a man of his standing to run was considered undignified. He didn’t care. His boy had returned.

The repentant son still felt enough shame that he tried to apologize. At this point, the father saw his son’s sorrowful heart. He didn’t shame him any further. Instead, the father responded with a quick command to his servants to bring the best robe and put it on him, to put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet, all signs that he had been fully reinstated as a son in full standing. Then the father went a step further. He wanted to celebrate and invite others to join him.

This parable was told by Jesus to the Pharisees and scribes who were grumbling about Jesus keeping company with sinners and tax collectors. He had just told the parable of the shepherd going after the one lost sheep and the parable of the woman doing everything she could to find her one lost coin. The purpose in all three of these parables was to teach the value of each lost sinner who returns to God.

How sad it is that too many people perceive God as the white-bearded, old man waiting to judge. In contrast, God is the one who, through Jesus, died an agonizing death so that we could be forgiven. He came after us because we, just like a lost lamb, are too weak and lost to go after Him. “For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)

But you can still say no and walk away. He, in His love and wisdom, gave all of us free will. He will not force you to turn to Him. But He will woo you. He, like the prodigal’s father, is watching and waiting for you.

And when you realize your sinful state and make that move toward Him, He will welcome you with open arms.