"And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living." Luke 15:11-13

We are all familiar with this story Jesus told to illustrate how much God loves us. Those of us who are parents can sympathize with the father in this story. His younger son decided that he wanted to leave his family home and go out on his own. It was customary that when a father died, his inheritance would be divided. This lad decided that he did not want to wait for his father's death; he wanted his money now.

I am sure the father's heart was broken because he loved his son very much. However, he knew that when a child becomes an adult, we must let them make their own decisions. There is an old saying: "If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were." – Kahlil Gibran. This quote reflects the idea that love must be free from control or possession."

We do not know how long the son was away from home. But we do know that the father never gave up hope. He waited and watched for his son's return. He waited, and trusted, and then one day, as he looked down the road, he saw his son returning. The long wait forgotten, joy filled his heart as he ran to meet him. Listen to this song by Tribute Quartet – "When the Prodigal Comes Home."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoRxeWBhkOM&list=RDDoRxeWBhkOM&start_radio=1

This week our Prayer Team is praying for loved ones and specifically for prodigals in our families. I have a son and several grandsons who are not serving the Lord. Every day I bring their names to the Lord, asking Him to protect them and to restore their faith in Him. We cannot force them to change their way of living. But we can let them know that we love them and that we are praying for them.

Thought For Today: God is faithful, he sees our tears and hears our prayers. We trust His promises as we wait for Him to bring our prodigals home.

Devotion by Anne Johnston