"Prodigal"

I fought and ran, I never should,

Have treated grace that way,

When I look back I wish I would,

Have never been a stray.

I was an old herd-quitter,

Hard to find and rope,

And then an old fence-sitter,

Without a shred of hope.

I’ve been disillusioned,

And bitter to the bone,

Chaos with confusion,

Wanted to be left alone.

When people said God loved me,

I thought there was no way,

But then push came to shove me,

I sat down and tried to pray.

I saw a scene from memory,

Of a story that I heard,

Like some TV documentary,

I remembered every word.

‘Bout a boy who left the home ranch,

Demanding what was his,

Then wandered far and took his chance,

Lost everything and this,

Came back to me so plainly,

And then the rest I saw,

The young man turning sanely,

To return home to his pa.

And his daddy celebrated,

And killed the fatted calf,

With love so strong he waited,

Tears turned to a joyful laugh.

And that’s just when I knew it,

My Father was not mad,

And if I came back to it,

My return would make Him glad.

And then and there I came home,

Into God’s loving arms,

And I will never be alone,

Nor fear this old world’s harms.

‘Cause I have been there, done that,

And there was grace indeed,

Counted out on life’s mat,

He gave me what I need.

“So he returned home to his father…” (Luke 15:20, NLT)

The biggest lie of the enemy is that you can’t return home to your father. His line goes something like this. You’ve sinned too much. You’ve gone too far. You’ve been gone too long. It’s too late. God has given up on you, etc. But as long as there is a heartbeat there is hope, and until then, it’s not too late. The prodigal was welcomed with open arms by his father. The older son did not appreciate daddy’s grace. But it didn’t matter. What mattered most that the son who had been dead was now alive. The son who had been lost had now come home. And the father’s response illustrates the response of our heavenly Father. He celebrates! Don’t miss the party.

Lord, help us return home to You and celebrate Your grace, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, billantonstudios.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.