The prodigal son is one of the most cited messages in the Holy Bible, bringing profound lessons for our current days. When we talk about the prodigal son, we see a young man who leaves his father’s house but returns some time later, after having squandered his entire inheritance.
Prodigal son means: The one who returns to his parents’ house or to family life after a long period, having led a dissolute, extravagant life full of squandering and waste. It is part of one of the three parables about loss and redemption: the prodigal son returns home!
The Premature Request for the Inheritance
And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. (Luke 15:11-12, KJV)
One of this man’s sons decides, for some reason, to ask for his share of the inheritance, and the father divides it between them. There is a great lesson here regarding receiving “blessings” before the right time. When we observe what happens to this young man later on, we understand that to receive God’s blessings, there is something called time.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1, KJV)
We see that the young man asks for his share of the inheritance. From then on, we can perceive the relationship between blessing and knowing how to manage what we ask from God. The young man desired to have possession of his inheritance, but he was not prepared to manage it, and now that inheritance becomes a curse.
Every time we receive something we are not prepared for, we face difficulties, as was the case with this young man.
An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed. (Proverbs 20:21, KJV)
Here we understand the importance of waiting for God’s time and knowing how to wait so that we can receive God’s blessings correctly and at the opportune moment.
The Danger of Anticipating Blessings
Perhaps we are asking God for something, and until today, He has not granted it. When we anticipate the process of the blessing, we run the great risk of turning the blessing into a curse because we were not yet prepared to receive it. Imagine asking God for a car. Understand: before the car, isn’t a driver’s license necessary?
It is not possible to receive a car from God if we do not have the license to drive it. Even if we acquire the car, we will certainly be subject to causing very serious problems in traffic, for others and for our own lives. Can you understand how a blessing granted outside of time can generate serious troubles?
We must be careful when seeking a blessing from God, understanding that if we have not yet received it, it is because we are not yet prepared to manage it. The prodigal son asks for his share of the inheritance, but he was not mature enough to manage that asset. Due to poor management, he throws away everything his father had given him.
How many times are we inside God’s house and simply think we have some reason to leave God’s house and live according to what we think is right, according to our desires and wants? The prodigal son also thought he had a reason in his heart, something that motivated him to leave his father’s house.
Bad Influences and Leaving God’s Presence
When we stop to observe, we understand that we are prone to leave the Father’s presence due to the bad influences around us, the false “friends” who try all the time to pervert our beliefs and values.
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. (1 Corinthians 15:33, KJV)
The parable of the prodigal son teaches us that there will be moments in life when we are surrounded by “friends,” but the true friend is God, our Father. While that young man was in his father’s house, he had everything; nothing was lacking for him. But when he leaves his father’s house, he begins to face difficulties.
Here we understand that when we are close to God, we have absolutely everything: we receive His provision and His care. But when we move away from God’s presence, we begin to die spiritually. We never have the same intimacy with the Father because we are distant from His will and His desire.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. (Luke 15:14-15, KJV)
Look where this young man ended up! The young man who once had everything was now in need, even desiring to eat the same food the pigs ate.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. (Luke 15:16, KJV)
Far from God’s presence, the enemy can lead a human being to a state of extreme need and even shame. The prodigal son then remembers what life was like in his father’s presence. He recognizes that he erred and remembers that even his father’s servants had a blessed life.
If the prodigal son had friends, when he lost the inheritance, they disappeared. If he had an abundant table, now he lived in the severest scarcity because he had no money, and there was famine in the land.
Repentance and Return to the Father
Many times, this is how it is in the life of a person who decides to leave God’s house. Various situations happen that lead to reflection on how good it was to be in God’s presence. Understand that no matter the reason you may have moved away from the Father’s house one day: reflect that, just like the prodigal son, you also lived good moments in God’s presence.
Everything we experience in God’s house is engraved in our hearts. When we leave God’s presence for some reason, at some point, memories come to the surface that generate feelings of longing to be back in God’s house. At that moment, we are similar to the prodigal son, where we recognize that the life we lead far from God does not compare to the moments we experienced when we were in His presence.
God desires that we make right choices. The prodigal son desires to return to his father’s house, to become just a servant. But upon arriving at the father’s house, he is received as a son.
We must understand that God looks not at what we threw away one day, but at the fact that we can recognize that we erred. God’s Word says there is a party in heaven when a sinner repents.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:20-24, KJV)
We see a father happy to see his son again, who one day left his house and went to live according to his desires and wants. The happiness here was because a much-loved son was now returning to the house he should never have left.
The Older Brother’s Attitude and the Father’s Lesson
In the same way with us: God allows someone to leave the Father’s house because there is free will, that is, the right to choose. So that, in the face of life’s situations and adversities, we may recognize that we erred and that we are dependent.
We may even stomp our feet, yes, but we will understand that we are dependent on His provision, His care, His correction, and that blessings must come at the right time. God does not want us to be like the other brother who remained, but He wants us to be like the father.
Understand that the younger son takes his inheritance and leaves for a distant land. There, far from everything, he abandons his father and his house, meaning he did not value what he had. The son who remains was even inside the father’s house, but in his heart, he was not able to release forgiveness and have compassion.
Now the father receives the prodigal son with open arms, teaching us to be releasers of forgiveness, teaching us not to look at our brothers’ defects but to embrace them and rejoice because one day he did err, yes, but he recognized his error and returned to the place he should never have left: God’s presence.
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:25-32, KJV)
Unfortunately, there are people who behave like the prodigal son, who do not value what God gave, but at some point recognize their error and return. We will see people like that brother who stayed but could not celebrate the return of the brother who was once lost.
There will be people who will act like the father, who rejoices when seeing someone who was lost return home. May we not be like the sons but like the father, who did not look at the errors and defects but at the son’s recognition.
The Call to Return Today
Returning home is not shameful. Recognizing that we erred is not shameful. For this reason, today, if you read this post and at some point in your Christian life decided to abandon everything and stop, return. Do like the prodigal son: even after a life far from the Father, lost, recognize your error and return while there is time.
The time to return to God’s house is today, because yesterday does not come back. Today is what we have, and tomorrow we do not know if we will experience it, for tomorrow belongs to God. Many waited for tomorrow to come to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives and, unfortunately, did not have that opportunity.
Do not leave the Father’s presence to value Him only in His absence.
