Restoration

The story often referred to as the Prodigal Son is a brilliant example of what the ministry of reconciliation is all about.  In that story a fair bit of credit is given to the wastrel son as he comes to his senses and realises that he could get better quality food back at his home even if he was just a servant than by even being rejected in getting the husks of the pigs that he’s feeding.

I think there’s another way of looking at it though, especially in the light of how his dad proceeds to disregard almost everything he has to say in his pitch.  It suggests that often when we choose to rebel against heavenly family values to do our own thing our very concept of ourselves becomes seriously twisted and distorted and we still think we’re the ones who establish what we are.

So humility and total depravity is not about coming to God and explaining our position to Him as if He doesn’t know.  Crucially, it’s not even about informing what we’re worthy of and what we’re not worthy of.  Humility in the light of who God is requires throwing ourselves on His mercy and allowing Him once more as Creator and Father to define and shape us according to His will.

Whether I’m worthy or not is no longer my decision to make.  What I’m worth and what I deserve are no longer relevant in the larger scale of things.  Knowing I’ve done wrong and at the heart am prone to wander is enough to simply throw myself at His mercy and hope for a gracious response.

This is where the Father comes into His own, for He sees once more the son who was lost and as good as dead and now restores Him.  That’s why the track means so much to me.  In line with the parable and the narrative of redemption in Scripture it says that no matter how far from home we travel, God’s honing beacon of tender mercy and loving kindness seeks us out and draws us back to Himself by Himself.  Restoration happens all the time and as we look at people in every day life it’s our prayer and mission to encourage people to look to Him to restore them back to where they truly belong however far they have wandered away from home.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd