8/18/25 The Father Running to You

Takeaway: God’s love doesn’t wait for perfection, it runs toward us in compassion the moment we turn back to Him.

Opening Prayer (Monday)

Heavenly Father, as a new week begins, I seek Your presence. Fill me with Your Spirit, renew my mind, and guide my steps. May I walk in faith and purpose today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Reflection

There are few images in scripture more tender, more revealing of God’s heart, and more shocking than the moment the father runs to his son in Jesus’ parable of The Prodigal Son. Jesus could have ended the parable with the son coming home with tail between his legs ashamed of what he has done. Jesus could have painted a picture of a stern father waiting on the porch, arms crossed, waiting for answers. But instead, Jesus gives us something far more beautiful and unexpected: a father who runs. In the ancient world, dignified men didn’t run. It was undignified and beneath their stature. But this father doesn’t care about appearances. When he sees his son, still far off smelling like pigs, he is overwhelmed by compassion, not judgment. Jesus’ isn’t revealing an ordinary father to us. This is the heart of our God.

The image of the running father is a reflection into the very character of God. It reveals a love that does not wait to be earned or proven. It shows us a grace that interrupts our shame and speaks a louder word than our regrets. God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up. He doesn’t hold back His affection until we’ve met the conditions of repentance. Before we can even get our apology out, before the prodigal can finish his speech, the father has already embraced him, kissed him, and clothed him. This is not a soft or sentimental love; it is a fierce, pursuing, and generous love. It’s a love that is concern with only one thing, the son’s return home.

That’s what we need to remember today. That no matter how far we’ve wandered, no matter how much we’ve lost, no matter how long we’ve been away, God is waiting for our return home. In fact, He’s running to welcome us home. His eyes are scanning the horizon for any sign of our return. And when God sees even the smallest turn of our heart back toward Him, He comes running. The feast has already begun. God is not just willing to forgive us; He’s eager to restore us. The story of the prodigal is not just about a son who comes home, but it’s more about a Father whose love has never waned.

So come home. Not with fear, not with shame, but with the confidence that the Father is already running toward you. Let go of the speech you’ve prepared. Stop rehearsing your failures. Lift your eyes and see the love that is chasing you down.

Questions

What does the image of the father running to the son reveal to you about God’s character?

How might your relationship with God change if you truly believed He is eager, not reluctant, to restore you?

Application

Take time today to pause and reflect on any areas where you feel distant from God. Instead of fixing yourself first, bring those places to Him in prayer and picture Him running to meet you with open arms, ready to embrace you. Let His compassion be the first step in putting the pieces of your life back together.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You that Your love isn’t cold, but warm and full of compassion. Thank You for running toward me when I’ve wandered, for welcoming me back before I speak a word. Help me to trust in Your grace, to release my shame, and to rest in the truth that I am deeply loved. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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