Key Scripture
Luke 15:20 (NKJV)
But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
This is one of the most revealing pictures of the love of God in all of Scripture. Jesus tells a story where the father does what no dignified man of his culture would ever do. He runs. He runs toward a son who had wasted his inheritance, dishonored his name, and walked away in rebellion. This is not restrained affection. This is extravagant love.
Notice the timing. The father did not wait for a full apology. He did not demand explanations or proof of change. While the son was still a great way off, the father saw him. That means he had been watching. Waiting. Hoping. God’s love is not passive. It is watchful and expectant, always ready to move toward repentance, not away from it.
Many people approach God assuming distance, coldness, or disappointment. They imagine a father with crossed arms, evaluating their return. But Jesus paints a very different picture. The father is moved with compassion. He initiates restoration. He closes the distance. He embraces before the speech is finished. This is how God responds to genuine turning of the heart.
The son came prepared to negotiate for a lower position, to be treated as a servant. But the father interrupted that mindset immediately. Robe, ring, sandals. These are symbols of identity, authority, and belonging. God does not restore partially. When He receives us, He restores fully.
This love reshapes how we repent. Repentance is not crawling back in shame. It is turning toward a Father who is already moving toward us in mercy. It also reshapes how we receive others. If God runs toward the repentant, we must learn to drop our stones, our judgments, and our conditions.
Today, if you feel distant from God, remember this, He is not waiting to push you away. He is watching for your return. And when you turn, you will find Him already running toward you.
Prayer
Father, thank you for your compassion that meets me before I have the right words or perfect posture. Help me to believe that you are not distant or reluctant, but eager to restore and embrace. Teach me to return to you with trust, and to reflect that same mercy to others. Amen.
