the prodigal God

Do you know what the word “prodigal” means? Obviously, you’re familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son, but chances are you don’t know what the word “prodigal” means. My guess was “wayward or lost.” But here’s what the word actually means: “recklessly extravagant,” which is why the word fits—the young man “squandered his property in reckless living.”

But, really, the story could just as easily be called the story of the Prodigal Father. Because that’s what his response to his lost son was—recklessly extravagant. He ran to his son (which men didn’t do), put a robe around him, a ring on his finger, and he threw and extravagant party. Then he goes out of the house and shows extravagant grace to his older son who was proud and self-righteous.

Isn’t it amazing that we have such a recklessly extravagant God who—though we abuse his grace by sinning and though we reject his grace with our self-righteousness—runs to us and celebrates that we are his?

My prayer is that your heart is consistently amazed by your Prodigal God.