The story of the prodigal son (the lost son) resonates with many of us. You’ve probably had one or know someone who does. When the term prodigal is used, it can mean either a child who becomes estranged from their family, a child who goes on a destructive pathway, a child who walks away from their faith, or a child who chooses to live as though they don’t need God.
No matter what difficult pathway a child is on, it’s a hard season for those who are immersed in it. This is why I believe the parable of the Prodigal Son gives us encouragement and hope.
The story is found in Luke 15:1-32 and goes like this: A father had two sons. One day the younger son came and asked his father for his inheritance. Normally, it would be given to him when the father died, but he wanted it then. The father granted his request. A couple days later, the son left home and decided to live wildly, spending all of his money. When he didn’t have anything left and had reached the bottom of the barrel, he decided to go home because even if he lived as one of the servants, he would have more than what he had at that moment. When the father saw him coming home, he ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed. He then threw a party because his son had been lost, but now was found.
A touching story, don’t you agree? Well, there are a few things I would like to point out in this story – things that can offer us help and hope as we deal with our own prodigal.
Having a prodigal can happen to the best of parents!
I’m sure that the father in this story did everything right, and treated both of his sons the same. He trained him up in the Word of God and taught him responsibility and love for family. But in the end, the son made a decision to leave and live in a way that hurt his father.
There’s a story in the Old Testament that mirrors the Prodigal Son story. Hezekiah was a good king and followed God wholeheartedly. He found favor in God’s eyes. I would imagine that he raised his son, Manasseh, to honor and obey God. But when Manasseh became king (2 Chronicles 33:1-20), he did everything he could to destroy what his dad had built up. He turned away from God and led the people in the same direction. He was eventually caught by the Assyrians and chained up. In that dark place, he cried out to God and God delivered him. When he returned to Jerusalem, he served God for the remainder of his life. A prodigal who returned!
If Hezekiah, Billy Graham, or the father in our prodigal story can lose a son, then we can too. You cannot blame yourself because our children, like us, are born with a free will. And rather than judge others, stand beside them offering encouragement and prayers.
God often chooses to grant us our selfish desires – but always for a purpose!
Gratifying our selfish desires is never good. It always leads to destruction. So, why would God allow us (or our children) to go down this pathway? Maybe because hard times can humble us and show us our need for Christ.
Just remember that God is there in the dark place. He will never leave our children alone. But often that dark place is when we discover that God is enough. God trusts our children will learn their lesson and return to Him.
Keep waiting and praying!
Why did the father know his son was returning? Because he had been waiting. And I’m sure praying every day. He never gave up hope that his son would return one day. As he walked by the window on this day (like he had done many days prior), he saw his son walking up the pathway. What a sight!
Don’t give up! Keep faith in Christ and believe that your child will be gone for only a season. Praying EVERY SINGLE DAY. And if you need to, ask others to pray as well. God surely hears the prayers of a hurting parent.
Don’t hold back your love!
The father in our story RAN to him, HUGGED him, and KISSED him. It didn’t matter that he had chosen to forsake his family and his father’s love, he was home now. And his father couldn’t hold back his excitement. Oh my goodness, my son is home!
No matter what they’ve done, how badly they’ve treated you, how deep their sin, or how long they’ve been gone, love them back home. Our story shows us that loving and embracing them is a much better response. The return will be so much grander for everyone.
Cling to God’s promises!
The best way to sustain you during the waiting period is to cling to God’s promises. Recite them over and over again. Here are a few promises…
Proverbs 22:6: Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Jeremiah 31:16-17: But now this is what the Lord says: “Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you,” says the Lord. “Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future,” says the Lord. “Your children will come again to their own land.
Psalm 55:22: Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.
Lastly, always keep these words before you:
Be still and know that I am God!
Psalm 46:10
Blessings,
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