Fatherly Compassion (Luke 15:20)

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.
– Luke 15:20

Oh, this may be one of the most beautiful verses in all the Bible. It’s in the middle of this parable, this story of the prodigal son, the son who left his father’s home and went after all that this world had to offer him. And the father loved him, and missed him, and longed for him to be home, and was waiting day after day after day for his son to come home.

Luke 15:20 reveals God’s pursuing love toward us.

And once his son did, verse 20 starts by saying that the son arose and came to his father. But then it says that while he was still a long way off, the son was wondering, “What’s this going to be like? Is my father even going to take me back?” And the father comes running after him.

And I remember telling this story in a home in the Middle East with Muslims all around me. I’m telling this story from Jesus. And immediately when I get to this part of the story, one of the men in the house, actually the owner of the house, said, “No way a father would not do that. Not after his son has shamed him. A father would not get up and run after his son”.

And I said, well, that’s the way the story goes. Then started to share the gospel of God’s love for us. And this is the astounding truth of the gospel, that though we have rebelled against God, He has come running after us, though we have shamed Him, He is eager to cover over all our shame and to restore us to Himself.

Luke 15:20 challenges us to show this kind of love to others around us.

So I want to lead us to just praise God today for the way He’s run after each of us. And then to pray that God would help us to show this kind of relentless love for others around us. God, we praise You for running after each of us. I think in just my own life, all the ways I’ve run from You and You’ve run after me, and that’s just me.

Every single person praying with me right now, we all have a story of how we have been foolish, how we have run from You, and You have run after us all. Glory be to Your Name, oh God, our Father, for running after us with Your compassion, embracing us, saving us, for giving Your Son to die on a cross for us. We did not deserve that. Oh God, we praise You for Your grace and Your love, Your mercy as our Father.

And God, we pray that You would help us to have this posture toward people around us who don’t know Jesus. God, we pray You would help us to run after them. Help us to lovingly, compassionately, pursue people who need Your love around us, so that we would be a picture of Your love and compassion for them.

A Prayer for the Unreached

Oh God, we think about all these unreached people groups we pray for every day. God, we pray that 7,000 unreached people groups would have Christians running after them as a picture of Your love for them, even recklessly, relentlessly running after them through much cause. Lord bless all those who are working for the spread of the gospel among these unreached people groups, for the spread of Your love as Father to those who are lost and need to be found. God, we pray you would help us as Your Church to reflect Your posture as the father of this prodigal son in Luke 15, even as we praise you for the relentless, reckless reality of Your love for us in Jesus. In His Name we pray. Amen.