Praise Before My Breakthrough: A 5-Day Devotional By Bryan and Katie TorwaltSampel

 ARMS OF GRACE - LUKE 15:11-32

If you grew up in Sunday school like I did, or spent any amount of time in church, there’s a good chance that like me, you’ve heard a few sermons on the parable of the prodigal son. However, a little while ago I listened to a sermon where they explained this parable in the most memorable way I’ve heard it. What they were proposing was that this passage should not be called the prodigal son, but instead “the Good Father”.

There is something so beautiful about this parable when you switch your focus from the son to the Father.

I know that in some way we all can relate to at least one of the sons. The son who squandered everything, who ran away thinking of ourselves only to get taken advantage of or make poor choices. Or the son who did everything the right way, but struggles with pride or jealousy when we see grace extended to someone who didn’t work as hard as us, or doesn’t “deserve” it in the same way we feel we do.

However, when you take a step back and begin to see this story not just with the son as the focus but with the Good Father as the focal point, it becomes such a beautiful picture and insight into our Heavenly Father. With no hesitation, He gives gifts to His children even when he knows that the son in the parable, or that we in our lives probably won’t steward the gifts in the best way that we should or could. One of my favorite parts happens in vs 20, as the son was making his plan to return to the Father hoping to be hired back as just a servant. It says “ But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him”.

Not only do we have a Heavenly Father who forgives us and takes us back with no questions asked, no matter what we’ve done. or how long we’ve been gone for. He’s waiting and watching for the moment that we simply turn back towards Him, so that He can run to meet us, with His arms of grace open wide to welcome us home and embrace us.

As we live our lives and inevitably make mistakes, if we could have that image branded into our minds of the Good Father, arms open wide running to meet us, wrap us up in a hug and take us back home. That would change the way a lot of us live our lives.

I’m so glad we serve such an incredibly loving God, ready to run to us and embrace us any time we turn towards Him.