Waiting with Open Arms

We are familiar with the story of the prodigal son. Luke 15:11-32 tells the story of how a young man asked his father for his inheritance and once it was granted to him he went into the world, leaving his father and family behind. In his time away, friends came and left and when his money and riches were all gone, he found himself living with pigs...This caused him to reflect on all he had left behind and caused him to long for it again. It was then that the young man decided to return home.
His father saw him coming and dropped everything to greet his long lost son. His brother was enraged at how easily he was welcomed back and even more so of all the festivities that took place on his behalf.
For a long time I wondered why the brother was made out to be the wrong one. I put myself in his position and thought that if I had been the one who stayed with the family, labored and toiled with them through good times and bad, through sickness and health, death and life, then why was he the wrong one when he had been nothing but obedient?
But, God in all His might and wisdom teaches us what He wants us to learn from the parables and stories in His Word.
The story appears to be centered on the prodigal son and to some extent his brother. But, the father is the major character. The story is really about God's amazing love and forgiveness towards us. He uses the example of an earthly father who welcomes his disobedient, lost son home after the world had eat him up and spat him out. He was loving enough to grant him his inheritance when he asked, much like how God blesses us when He grants us our needs and desires. The earthly father when he saw his son coming saw his countenance as one that is lost, guilty, outcast and lowly even though he came from a rich home and wealthy family. When we leave the Kingdom of God, we take the blessings He has already given to us, for instance, our cars, houses, monetary lump sums, that we think will last forever, and walk away thinking that these are all the things we need to live a successful and victorious life. But, the prodigal son saw that he had friends only when he had riches and was willing to spend on them. But when he didn't have any more, he also had no one to lean on. The world is harsh. Satan dangles pleasures before our eyes enticing us to walk away from Jesus. Those who choose that road, often find that these pleasures are temporary and that the wages of sin is death. We may not physically die right away, but spiritually we are buried 6ft under! But like the earthly father in this story whose arms and heart genuinely welcomed his son again, so to God is waiting for us with arms open wide. He washes us from the filth that covered us, removes the rags we wear and clothes us, takes us out of the pig pen and places us in mansions, and takes us from bankruptcy to riches in glory!
God does not turn away from us because we walked away. He opens his heart and lets us in again because we have been wounded and distressed and need to find rest and peace.
The brother of the prodigal son couldn't see things like this. He was jealous and focused on the natural things where he missed the spiritual breakthrough taking place in his family. His father's prayers for his lost son's return had been answered. His son's salvation was now sure in Christ. He was a shepherd who could not rest easy until all his sheep were safe in the flock again.
Jesus is the ultimate shepherd, and we are His sheep. His arms are open wide before us, waiting for us to return to Him. Let us run into his presence with brokenness for who He is...