Await the Return

Luke 15:21
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

Have you ever taken the time to listen to your animals outside the door begging you to either come outside or let them in? And when you have food in your hands for them – how they begin to tell you about how hungry they are. Or how happy they are you didn’t forget them during the day. Have you ever thought what your animals do while you go about your busy life and leave them home alone? I have had the opportunity to be at several dogs homes when the owner has been gone. I can tell you they “wait” for you to come home. They get into their comfy place and don’t get up until they have to. One dog in particular has a table by the window and rests his head on the window ceil until his family comes home.

God is the same way – he waits for you to come home. Like the father of the prodigal son he saw him far off because he was looking and waiting. He lets you go along without him because you were too busy to invite him but can’t wait for you to open the door and let him in.

Like the animals outside the door he speaks and nudges us so that before we totally fall on our face we remember “Oh, I haven’t asked him or talked to him in a while.” Once you give him the slightest interest oh the joy that overcomes his glorious face, kind of like the dog and the wagging tail.

We try to make God more difficult than he is really is. All he wants is us, all of us. He gives us simple illustrations to help us along the way. All he asks us to do is to trust, believe and confess; the rest is his to handle.