Hold the Line

We’re never told how long he stayed away. The prodigal son in Luke 15 left his life of repute, ran away from everything he knew to be right and good, and became the captain of his own fate. It could have been weeks. Maybe months. Depending on how much the son had to prove himself, it could have been even longer before he “came to his senses” (Luke 15:17).  

Growing up in church, it’s a story I’ve heard almost as often as the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The longer I live, the more I can find similarities between myself and the prodigal. What I haven’t stopped to truly gaze at, though, is the faithfulness of the father waiting at home.

Again—it could have been weeks, months, or years. Yet we’re told that while the prodigal was still a long way off, his father “…ran to him” (John 15:20). As so many Bible teachers have pointed out, that means the father was constantly watching…waiting…anticipating his son’s return.

You want to talk about endurance, read the passionate sorrow lines of a person who is waiting on their prodigal to return. Days? Weeks? Months? Years? Oh God help me…decades? It’s hard to keep the anticipation, grace, love, and desire fresh that long. Because we love, we strive for that, but to quote the Psalmist: “How long will you forget [them], Lord? Forever?” (Psalm 13:1)

The beautiful unsung story of the Prodigal Son is the fact that the father stayed faithful to wait. We can have every confidence it was the Spirit who patiently chipped away at the prodigal’s sin-filled wanderlust. We are called to endure the often quiet, painful, proof-less, lonely wait by trusting the power of God. He does the rest.

Be faithful to endure, beloved. The world is watching.