- Notes from Nathan
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- Luke 15:13-16
Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
We’re as capable - and perhaps better at - wandering away from God’s grace as we are at being able to define, describe, and even sing of it.
What better than the parable of the prodigal son(s) in Luke 15 to illuminate our own prodigal tendencies?
The illusion of independence - The younger son's pursuit of autonomy and independence shines light on a common oversight: mistaking freedom from God’s authority for true fulfillment, only to find emptiness and despair away from God's refuge and provision.
Our naturally wandering ways - Left to ourselves, we descend into destitution. For the younger son, it culminated in a degrading task, symbolizing the spiritual poverty we encounter when we distance ourselves from God.
The inevitability of difficult hardship - It often takes arriving at a low point to come to the realization of our dire state and need for God. Here we recognize our profound need for God's grace to truly find our way home.
Heavenly Father - Open our eyes to our spiritual poverty and the assurance of the invitation to return to You, knowing Your grace awaits us with open arms. Amen.