Lost, But Now Found

Who is Jesus? What is His relationship with us? If we have ever been curious about these questions before, we can find our answers in the Bible. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is many things – Creator of the world, Savior of mankind, and Ruler over all. But on an even more personal level, He is also our heavenly Father.

One story that depicts Jesus as our Father is the parable of the prodigal son. One day, a son asks his father for his share of the inheritance. Taking everything, he journeys far away and lives indulgently until all is spent. When famine arrives, the son finds himself in need. As a result, he hires himself out, working to feed pigs. While the pigs have food, he is left to starve. At last, the son comes to a sobering realization. Even his father’s hired servants have more than enough bread; yet, here he is, about to perish!

In this life, we may unknowingly live as the son. Wanting to fulfill our own desires, we prioritize worldly pursuits – wealth, fame, pleasure – over a relationship with Jesus. Instead of seeking to please Jesus, we seek only to please ourselves. But when troubles come, we find ourselves far from the love and protection of our Father. We are lost, living a life without our heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. Without Him, life lacks purpose and direction. Our hearts feel empty, void of true joy and satisfaction. Most tragically, a life without Jesus is one lacking a future, without the hope of eternal life.

Yet, if we recognize such a dire condition, we too can return as the prodigal son did. When the son decides to return home, confess his wrong, and offer himself up as one of his father’s hired servants, he experiences the heart of the father.

“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, ESV)

The way the father responds to the son’s return may surprise us. After all, this was the son who demanded the father’s property, eagerly left home, and then squandered all he had recklessly. It would only seem natural for the father to be upset. But instead of anger, we witness the father’s compassion, acceptance, and joy.

Even though the son had left home, the father’s love for the son did not diminish or change. We know this because it was the father who saw the son first. In order to have seen him from a far off, the father must have already been looking for the son. Perhaps he had been diligently keeping watch day after day, waiting with hopeful expectation for the son’s return.

When the son finally journeyed home, the father wasted no time. He immediately ran to his son, closing the distance between them with his deep affection. Despite what the son had done, the father still loved him unconditionally. Jesus’ love for us is the same. It is eager to embrace us, should we choose to come to Him and build a relationship with Him.

In the end, the son was blessed – he was not a hired servant as he had imagined, but his father’s son once again. His return was followed by celebration and great joy, for what had been lost had finally been found. We may also long for such restoration and acceptance. If we find ourselves lost in a life without Jesus, know for certain He is watching and waiting for the day we will come to Him. His hope is for us to return to Him. With our return, we will experience His heart. He will have compassion and draw near to us. He will keep no record of our wrongdoings, but embrace us warmly with love and acceptance. He will surely rejoice over our return, for His child which was lost, is now found!