“He got up, and started towards his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” Luke 15:20
Heavenly Father, hallelujah… we praise, bless, and adore you. If we have any doubt about what you’re thinking about us right now, your Word—this very passage, removes those doubts. Five verbs in this one verse summarize how you relate to each of us—your children, in this minute and every moment Saw. Felt. Ran. Embraced. Kissed.
You see us—whether we’re a mess, melancholic, merry, or madder than we’ve ever been. No matter if we’re living destructively—like a runaway prodigal, or have entered the cold-hearted deep freeze of self-righteousness—like the “elder brother” (Luke 15:25-32)—it makes no difference, you feel compassion for us, not contempt. You’ll meet us there, and take us where your grace alone can take us.
And you always run towards us in the Gospel as a welcoming Father. You embrace us so tightly, so kindly, so gladly… and you will never let go of us. You “kiss” us—for we are now “in Christ,” your beloved Son. Wonder of wonders, you have made his belovedness ours.
Father, whatever our emotional condition right now, whatever our spiritual temperature, mental state, or physical location—you desire us, are pursuing us, and are committed to giving us grace upon grace. Thank you. Thank you, 1000 times, thank you. So Very Amen.
