“A man had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:11-13*).
When we read about the prodigal son, our focus is usually on God's amazing love, represented by the father in the story. We are glad to know that the Lord responds to us in the same way when we drift away from Him. But today, let's delve into the parable to see what it teaches us about our responsibility to love others.
Letting go of others. The father has the right to refuse his son's foolish request, but he understands that the young man has already left home in his heart. Perhaps there are times when the greatest expression of love on our part is also the hardest for us—to let go of those we love. When we try to control the outcome, we may stand in God's way.
Waiting. Once we have let someone go, we must patiently wait for the Lord to carry out His work in that person's life. Do you notice that the father does not go looking for his son? He chooses to trust God rather than try to fix the situation and prevent the inevitable harsh consequences of his prodigal son's imprudent behavior.
The only way we can respond this way is by having confidence in God's good plans (Psalm 56:3-4). The Lord loves the other person more than we do and knows the best way to reach them. Our task is to pray while He brings the prodigal son back home.
Link to the original article: https://www.intouchuk.org/read/daily-devotions/a-powerful-love
* Bible quotes are from The Bible, New Translation from Original Languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013