Now I have it,,,now I don't Part 5

The son got what he asked for. His inheritance was given to him because of the generosity of the Father. Off the son goes. He is really going to live now. No more rules. No more hard work. It is time to party and live it up. It is time to really live. At least that is what he had in mind in his short sited view. Luke 5:13

There are times when people want to get far away from God, their parents, responsibilty, the guidance of others and just do their own thing. That is what this son did. He set off for a distant country. Out of sight, out of mind...or so he thought. But we know he never left the mind of the father.

He was having the time of his life..for a while. He had all he needed to do his thing...for a while. He was the life of the party...for a while. He was the man...or was he.

We are not sure how long he was able to sustain this lifestyle but eventually reality set in. Luke 5:14 tells us about the famine, the money was long gone, and he was in need. I think the son had some questions he was asking himself: Where were all the friends I had partied with? Where were the girls who I had been sleeping with? Where has all my money gone? How could I have had so much and now I have so little? How am I going to make it?

I think all of us who have wandered away from God have had lots of questions go through our mind. Often those questions lead to self condemnation, guilt, fear and hopelessness.

Maybe we need to understand that we are human and that there truly is hope and peace and forgiveness. Even when everything is gone and all has been stripped away, God is still there. He is wanting to hear from us. He wants us to tell him exactly how we feel. His heart breaks for his lost children, even more than our earthly fathers.

There are words to a song, "I Need You More" by Integrity Music and Hosanna records which declare these words to God:
I need you more, more that yesterday, I need you more, more than words can say, I need you more than ever before, I need you now, I need you now."
Let this be your and my heartcry.