January 22, 2024

I often wonder how the Prodigal Son expected his father to react to his return home. I wonder if he expected his father to react with despise. “I knew you’d come crawling back one day!” Or I wonder if he expected his father to respond with shame. “We were taking bets on how long it would take you to blow it all!” Or maybe he thought his father would respond by shunning him, maybe even sending a hired hand out to tell him that he wasn’t welcome. What I DON’T think the son expected was the way his father actually responded—with excitement, joy, and unbridled affection. If the son had any thoughts that he may not be wanted or was no longer loved, they died on the road that day. The father lavished his son with unconditional love and acceptance. And here’s the kicker: The son hadn’t even apologized yet.
Let the full weight of that sink in. As far as the father knew, the son may have come home to ask for more money. He may have come back just to have a place to stay for a while. The son might have secured some debts with some bad people and was coming back to ask his father to pay them off. But none of that mattered to the father. His son was HOME. His son was SAFE. That was enough. Yes, if the son wasn’t broken the father may not have given him more money. Yes, if the son didn’t have a repentant heart the father may have not continued to enable the son’s careless behavior by rewarding him with more. But the point of the story is that the father’s LOVE didn’t have to be earned. The father loved the son regardless of where he’d been, regardless of what he’d done, and regardless of the son’s attitude toward his own failures. Love isn’t earned. It's freely given. Other blessings may come with certain requirements and expectations. But not love. The father was willing to give that wholeheartedly without any hesitation at all.
Grab that thought. Because that’s how God loves YOU. Completely. Unconditionally. Without hesitation or reluctance. Filthy and sleeping in a pigpen or clean and tucked nicely in a soft bed. God loves you. Broken and ready to change your ways or defiant and still trying to be the god of your own life. God loves you. The blessings of God may have some requirements and stipulations or conditions. But not his love. The Father’s love isn’t contingent on what you do or how you’re living. He loves you at your worst as well as at your best. Which is why the moment you turn toward Him to come home, He’ll run to meet you where you are. The rest of that stuff He’ll work out with you along the way. That’s God’s Word for you today.