Tag: prodigal

To Look Or Not To Look

~ Sowmya Gali

Genesis 19: 17, 26

When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”

But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Luke 15: 17

But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger!’

To look or not to look? That is the question. One question that has plagued mankind from ancient days. Lot and his family settled in Sodom and Gomorrah comfortably after years of wandering. They have been accepted in that society so much so that Lot became one of the elders of the city. Their daughters were engaged to local men. All was going well for Lot, his wife and their two daughters. All of a sudden, God pronounced judgment on the twin cities for their wicked deeds. Overnight, God commanded them to leave everything behind and run for their lives.

Lot and his daughters obeyed and in panic ran towards the mountains. However, Lot’s wife, heartbroken to leave her nice home, her friends and neighbors, and her life behind so abruptly, turned around and looked back longingly at what she was leaving behind. It was her yearning for what she was leaving behind instead of the longing for what lay ahead caused her to turn into a pillar of salt. God was preventing them from looking back because he was destroying that past to dust and ashes so they could never return to that.

Numerous times in our own lives, God snatches us away from situations that could have been detrimental to us if we remained. We may not be prepared for such drastic change but God in His infinite mercy is protecting us from the impending pain or trouble. We may have been in toxic relationships that are causing us to stray away from God and make excuses to continue in our sin. Several times, we wouldn’t even know we were in the wrong because we chose to go with the flow of the current time. We didn’t want trouble when trouble was brewing all around us. Instead of escaping with our lives, we chose to compromise, we chose to yearn for the things that were familiar and comfortable.

In the story of the prodigal son, in his dire circumstances, he longed for a decent meal. He remembered the days of plenty and luxury in his father’s house. He remembered the comfort, the love and joy of his father’s house. He even remembered that the servants in his father’s household had excess food. Because he longed for the comfort of his father’s house, he chose to humble himself and return to his father’s house. The humiliation he was enduring was too much to bear. For his sin that he committed against his father, he was willing to bear whatever punishment his father would render him but return and remain in his father’s household.

We may have been the prodigal who chose to run after the world and its attractions. After getting burned, after exhausting all our resources, after getting betrayed, finding ourselves lonely, wasted and rejected, we remember the good old days. The joy and comfort of a loving family, the goodness of God we may have enjoyed, the peace of God that pervaded our entire being – all beckon us to return home. Looking and longing for the goodness of our past is wonderful as it causes us to steer ourselves back on to the familiar yet straight and narrow path.

Dear Sojourners, wherever we find ourselves in this life’s journey, it is always good to gauge ourselves against the Word of God. When God has taken us far away from the evil that could have ruined us, we should be grateful for the rescue and not yearn for such a past. When God has reminded us of our past where we have basked in the lap of His goodness, we should be grateful for such a beautiful past and yearn to return to it. As long as we are in His will, living out His purposes for His glory and for His Kingdom, it is our prerogative to either return to His fold or strive to enter His fold. It is our prerogative to look or not to look based on our situation.

Jeremiah 6: 16 – 17

Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

“And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’” Yes, there is wisdom in the ancient paths. Let us chose to adhere to those ancient paths for there is freedom, love, joy, comfort, peace and prosperity. Irrespective of our past, let us forge ahead towards the eternity that awaits us. Let us set our eyes on Christ, who was, who is and who is to come!

The Prodigal – When The Father Ran.

~ Sowmya Gali

Luke 15: 20

So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

We are familiar with the parable of the prodigal son. Even though Jesus was addressing the Jews at the time, he had every prodigal on His mind. The Jewish people were the ones who received God’s special blessing, the inheritance and the special privilege of being called as His own. God loves everyone equally but the Jews were the apple of His eye. The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were indeed a chosen group of people.

Jesus, in his narrative of the prodigal son, reveals to the people about the heart of our Heavenly Father. When the prodigal son comes to his senses in the far away land, after spending all his inheritance on wild living, his first thoughts were of his father. He wondered if his father would even accept him back. Even if he didn’t accept him back, he would hire himself out to his father as one of his servants just so he could have a decent meal. With such thoughts, the son made his way home.

What keeps the prodigal away? Pride and ego could be the major factors. They have defied the truth and went away pursuing other truths. However, the ultimate Truth is always ringing in their ears. However much they would like to stifle the Truth, it still rings deafeningly loud.  Their initial quarrel with their loved ones was that they were right and the others were wrong. Now when they have realized that the people who loved him/her were right all along, it is difficult to accept it and return with humility. In such state, they are going through much stress, which in some cases has led to anxiety and depression. In some severe cases, it has led to suicide. Humbling oneself is a very bitter pill to swallow.

In some cases, confusion plays a major role. If the person hasn’t been exposed to the Word of God in it’s true light, then the enemy is ready to sow seeds of confusion. With such multiplicity of conflicting thoughts, the person struggles to accept the Truth of the Word of God and continues to spiral down into depression. The confusion is not mitigated but fueled into more confusion. Jesus says unless we receive the Truth like a little child in its simplicity and in faith, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s Word is simple and if we accept it as it is and not complicate it, our faith also would be simple and true.

Nevertheless, if the prodigal swallows his/her pride, untangles himself/herself from the complicated web of lies, and decides to return home, our Heavenly Father sees the changing heart. He doesn’t even wait for a changed heart. Just a hint of change is good enough for Him to accept the prodigal back into the fold. He, who never took His eyes off of the horizon, longingly waits for the shadow of His prodigal to appear. The moment He sees the child coming towards Him, He runs to His beloved child. His compassionate heart knows no bounds of joy that fills His heart just to see His child back in front of His eyes and in His embrace. Such is the love of our Heavenly Father!

Dearly beloved, you may have a prodigal in your life or you yourself may be the prodigal. It is time to return home into the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father. He is waiting eagerly with open arms and with no questions or conditions. Saints, you who have been praying expectantly for your prodigal to return to the fold of God, do not despair. God knows your heart and sees your tears. The seed that you have sown will sprout, flourish and one day bear fruit. Whether you will be alive or not to see that, be rest assured that our God sees and He will bring to fruition multifold. Beloved, if you are struggling to accept the truth of the Word of God, please try again to accept His Word in all its simplicity. God is absolute. God’s truth is absolute. God’s love is absolute. God’s mercy is absolute. God’s grace is absolute. Nothing about Him is conditional. As you are returning, don’t be surprised to see your Heavenly Father running towards you to sweep you up in His arms and shower His love on you.