Nobody has ever had to crawl back to God.
If you've been in church a long time, you might know the habit of rehearsing first. Some people draft the apology in their head after a rough week, going over it on the drive to church or while lying awake, trying to make it humble enough that God will listen. They keep wondering whether it sounds sorry enough yet.
For some people it started at youth camp, at the end of a long evening, when the speaker invited anyone who wanted to come home to walk to the front and really mean it. If you watched the kids who cried hardest, it was easy to decide that this was what it took. Over time, coming back to God began to sound like begging at the door.
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
The Father runs to you before you finish apologising, and he never needed the speech to welcome you. In Jesus' parable, the younger son had rehearsed a speech before setting out for home, and his father ran and embraced him before he could finish it. You may have practised your own lines for years, polishing them until they sounded sorry enough.
Saying sorry to God is still good and honest, and he is glad to hear it. It just isn't the price of the door opening. He was moving toward you long before you found the right words, and he will gladly listen to whatever you bring once you're home.
Try this today
- Next time you pray, notice whether you're drafting an apology first, and try starting with a simple hello instead.
Sit with this
What would you say to God if you didn't think you had to earn a hearing first?
Father, I've spent a long time rehearsing what I'd need to say before you'd have me back. Thank you for running to me anyway, and for listening to me as I am.
He isn't waiting for the right words before he comes to meet you.
Amen.
Every day with God counts forever.
