The God Who Waits

The God Who Waits

Read: Luke 15:11-32

“The younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”

Luke 15:13

“God’s favorite word is ‘come!’”

—Robert L. Sterner

IN WORD We were once citizens of a distant country. God didn’t exile us there; we moved there on our own accord. Like the younger son, we were happy to be independent, away from the stifling presence of the father, though hypocritically satisfied with his wealth. We celebrated and squandered, thinking we were accountable only to ourselves and forfeiting any right we may have ever had to call ourselves His children.

Could there possibly be any better description of our generation than the escapades of the Prodigal Son? Many in our society act as if independence were the highest virtue. Many are living in a distant country and loving it. For now.

Meanwhile, our Father waits. He knows the futility of His children’s independence; He knows it will bring them to ruin. But unless they see it themselves, they will not believe it. So He waits.

IN DEED The waiting Father is a beautiful and welcome picture for those who are coming to believe in Him for the first time. But it is also meaningful for those of us who have long considered ourselves His children. We, too, are prone to live frivolous lives, squandering the benefits and neglecting the responsibilities of living in the Father’s household. We, too, have a streak of independence that carries on in spite of our salvation by faith.

Many of us wonder if our failures have caused the Father to turn His back on us. We know He is righteous, and we know we are not. We may think we are no longer welcome in His house. But Jesus’ illustration is clear. We have a Father who waits.