Waiting With Open Arms

Luke 15:20

But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

This verse is from the parable of the prodigal or wasteful son. The rebellious son had taken his inheritance and left his father and his father’s values, going to a place of riotous and sensual living. While there, he had lost all his money and was wasting away in sin. Finally, He came to his senses and decided to go back to his father’s house, confess his sin and throw himself at his father’s feet and ask if he could just be as a slave and work for him.

This parable (an earthly story with a heavenly meaning) is not so much about the rebellious son as it is about the loving father. In it, we see more about the love of the father than we do about the sin of the son. As the son was approaching, we see that the father was on the lookout for him. It says that while he was yet far off, the father saw him. What did the father do next? He ran to meet the son and threw his arms around him, kissing him on the neck saying, “My son, my son, you once were lost, but now you have come back home.”

As the son began confessing, the father ordered the servants to bring clean clothes and jewelry and to prepare a feast. He was not even concerned about where all he had been and what all he had done, all that mattered to the father was that the lost child had returned home.

This is a perfect picture of God, our heavenly Father. With so many people thinking that God is a mean old man who just waits for us to mess up so that He can punish us, this story is a wonderful relief. You see, God is not like that at all. He is the Father of this parable who is earnestly watching and waiting for anyone who has strayed away to make their way back to Him. His desire is not to punish but to restore. He will put new garments on you and make you part of His fellowship again. He awaits with open arms, but you have to take that first step. Don’t let sin keep you away, come back to the Father today.