The Father of the Prodigal

Someone pointed out to me recently that at some state of your life you will either be the prodigal son, the father of the prodigal or the elder brother. I really can see that.

Can you envision the Prodigal Father? He’s out waiting by the road. He’s had this huge upheaval in his life and he could choose to be a little embarrassed or ashamed. But he doesn’t “go there”. In fact, if he did people would accept it a little better. They think he’s “in denial”. Everyone thinks he’s crazy. Doesn’t he know God doesn’t do miracles anymore? Some of them tell him he’s being foolish; some of them encourage him to his face and then walk away shaking their heads, or say kindly to him, “Don’t get your hopes up!” But he has faith that his son will see the error of his ways and repent and return to his family. The elder brother is not happy because his dad just won’t “face facts”. While the younger brother was gone, he probably had a lot to say about how foolish the Father was for expecting him to return. His servants and friends probably did too. But He remained steadfast, loyal, faithful.

I have been studying II Chronicles 16:9 about how the Father’s eyes are continually looking to and fro across the whole earth to find a heart that is loyal to Him so that He can show up and show Himself strong on their behalf.
The word “loyal” can mean faithful. But as I looked it up in the Hebrew I was stunned. The word is “shalam”, a form of the word "shalom". It means complete, safe, peaceful, perfect, whole, full, at peace, in a covenant of peace with Him.
That is amazing. He will show up for the one who is in a covenant of peace with Him, whose heart is complete toward Him; whole, at peace, safe, whose mind is fixed on Him. He will keep in “shalom, shalom”, (perfect peace, or wholeness,) the one whose mind is safely in covenant with Him, because he trusts You. (Isaiah 26:3)
If my mind is not “safe” with Him, then nothing can happen. If I don’t feel safe I will not be at peace. My mind is fixed on my problem and not on Him. In Sozo ministry when there are walls of protection to be torn down, we ask them to ask the Lord if they will be safe, if they take down their protective walls. Until they make that decision, the walls will not come down. The walls of fear won’t come down in your life either until you feel that He is “safe”.

So, I need to ask myself, Is my prodigal SAFE with Him? Will I be SAFE if I trust Him. The Father could do NOTHING! He was helpless and could have been hopeless but he never gave up. There must have been rainy days out on that road, or cold days, or really, really hot days, when he was drained of every bit of energy, but he stayed in a position of expectancy.

I don’t know how long you’ve been out on the road waiting for your prodigal to come home. Don’t stop now. Don’t give up. Stay in your spot! Stay in a state of expectancy, not because of your prodigal, but because of your covenant relationship with Your Papa God. That person may not be faithful, but God is, and you have a covenant with Him that ‘whatever you ask of Him, He will do it.” His own Spirit is interceding on your behalf. I love the passage from Job 22 that says, “He will even deliver the one who is not innocent, Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands.” That really is an amazing statement. And Jesus says the same thing in John 15. “Abide in Me, be present with Me continually. Remain in Truth and Truth will remain in you and set you free.

If the Father was a good Jewish father, he had scripture on his forehead. God’s word was hung around his neck. He may even have had his prayer shawl around his shoulders so that he could continually see God’s names, God’s nature and God’s promises. While he was pacing the road in anticipation, he was reciting those promises. He was like an expectant father as he paces the delivery room floor knowing there’s about to be a birth. That father has planted the seed of life and as surely as he knows anything, he knows there is new life on the way. The father of the prodigal was thinking about God’s faithfulness, and the seeds he had planted in his son’s life. He was bowing in prayer. He wasn’t inactive or passive, he was intently pursuing the promises he had from God. When people saw him on the road, their greeting was “Shalom!”, (be at peace, be whole and complete. Let there be nothing missing, nothing broken in your life). Every greeting was a reminder of what God’s heart was for him..

But you may say, I don’t feel safe. I’m scared. I’m just not sure that anything will ever change. This situation is overwhelming. And, in the natural, you could be right but aren’t you glad that your solution doesn’t rest in the facts of your circumstances but in the goodness and faithfulness of Papa God? Aren’t you glad that no one can separate you from His love for you AND your prodigal?
AS I was out walking one of the dogs this morning I was talking to the Lord and I said, “Lord, Thank you that even if I DON”T remain faithful, You remain faithful.” I really said a mouthful. As I was preparing for a major event in my life recently, God said, “Prepare for success”. It was a great word and every day I started out determining what that meant for that particular day. What He was really saying was: “Stay in your spot of covenant peace, and I will give you good success. Abide in Me, and all that I am will be in you; all My peace, faith, encouragement. Then you can ask what you will and it shall be done for you because you are asking from a position of peace. And even though you may slip out of position at times, I will NEVER NEVER NEVER be unfaithful to you. We have a covenant and I will never break it. I can’t it’s just not in Me. “I AM” is faithful, forever and ever Amen!

So today, get back in your “faith spot” where you can see, the goodness of God, and His good plans for your prodigal. Speak out what He has told you. Stay there. It will give you hope. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted or disappointed, especially when there are distractions or disappointments. He loves you, and He loves them. He’s working it out, perfectly. That’s His word on it. Stay there, in perfect peace. Get the feast prepared and the robe ready. Breakthrough Is coming.