By Faith…The Lost Son’s Dad

By Faith…The Lost Son’s Dad- Luke 15:11-32

Okay…since the theme of this month has a lot to do with Father’s Day, I decided to think of a father in the Bible that was a great example of a father. And while I am sure there are many, the first story I thought of was an uncommon one. The reason I say it is uncommon in because you do not usually think of the father in this story.

This story is the story of the prodigal son. Now some of you may know this story and while you can find the whole thing in Luke 15:11-32, I am going to summarize it here!

Jesus is telling the story and He says…

There was a man who had two sons. One day the younger of the two sons came up to his father and said, “Dad I want everything that is my share”. And guess what…the father gave it to him. So the son took his new found wealth and went off to the city. It didn’t take long and he spent it all and had nothing left. He then got a job feeding pigs. Yuck. And it gets worse. HE was so hungry that he wanted to eat what the pigs were eating. YUCK. So then the Bible said, “when he came to his senses, he said, ‘how many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!’”. So he decided to go back and tell his father that he had sinned, he wasn’t worthy to be his son, and that he would like to be like one of his hired men. So he went off to do just that.

So the son was still a ways a way and his dad saw him coming. His dad was filled with compassion for him and ran to him and kissed him. So the son told him everything he had planned to tell him. Even after all of that the dad then told his servant to bring him a fine clothes (I bet he needed them) and to prepare a feast. So they celebrated! The father said this is his son who was dead and lost, but now is alive and found.

(There is more to this story so make sure you check it out, and make sure you see what the older
brother thought.)

So anyway this dad, he had faith. By faith, he gave his son his wealth and let him do what he wanted (and boy, did he have a lot to learn). By faith, the father trusted that God would work everything out for the good. By faith, the father did a hard thing by welcoming him back…and doing it joyfully.

By faith, he trusted, will you?

Mandy H.