God ran! Yes He did and JESUS told His disciples a very touching story, likening it to God and Man. This story is often known as the the PARABLE of the Prodigal Son.
He was the youngest of the two children, yet he would not work to make a living but wanted to make a life out of his father's estate. He asked his father to give him the portion of the property that fell to him. What great impatience! Some fathers would have disowned any child who dared ask for his share of the property, here in Africa and in many other parts of the world as it is believed that the share of a person's property came mostly after the owner was dead and had stated how the property would be shared either by way of a will or in the presence of witnesses.
His willing, patient and loving father gave him what he asked for. In great haste, he left the father's presence and went into a far country where he spent his living wildly. Jesus spoke about the prodigal son in this manner...
"And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything.
But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."' Luke 15:14-19
What great pity! The son of a rich man now reduced to the state of a servant. What a shock! Feeding swine was an abomination in his country where he came from and was raised as they regarded swine as unclean animals with whom they have no relationship. It was the lowest point he could have gone as a Jew and son of a rich man who had a lot of treasure! How oft we are compelled to do things that would not have been done but for the current situation in which we find ourselves!
Coming back to his senses, the young man who had spent his share of the property began to miss home. He missed the food especially and thought to himself "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!" . Challenges, difficult times and trials are to bring us back to God not away from Him. The challenge of hunger in which this man found himself made him reminisce the good times he had in his father's house!
His father, who would have been offended at the sight of his son for his behaviour did something spectacular. It is recorded...
"But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him". Luke 15:20
The Father is God. He is the creator of the universe and has all things- in fact, HE did all things. He gave us all things and wanted us to draw close to Him yet our sins pushed Him far away us. The Father had all the time been waiting in earnest expectation for the day the son would return and at the sight of the prodigal son, he ran, embraced him, and kissed the son over and over again! What a Father!
Just like the youngest son, (usually known as the prodigal son) God is ready to run just to come to your rescue. Even though you think you don't deserve to be the son anymore, He is ready to restore you. Amazingly, He would forgive you even if you have murdered, fornicated, or stolen before. See what He says in Jeremiah 31:3 "Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee".
"But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran,..."
God is ready to run, indeed He is running to you. Are you willing to come home?
1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
Speak to God today!
