The Father at the Door
October 1st, 2025_The Father at the Door
Over the course of the last ten years as a pastor, but also years prior to that as professional Christian counselor, I encountered many prodigal stories. Most of the time because of a son or a daughter that chose to live their life in the world, distant from God. Often, they were even raised in a church environment, attended with their parents, went to kid’s church or kid’s camps, and even raised their hands to accept Jesus into their hearts when asked by the Sunday school teacher. But as time went on the allures of the world drew all their attention and devotion and they made a conscious decision to live a life different from their upbringing, pursuing their passions and exploring their own will and ways instead. But in many cases that led to much suffering in their lives, and in the hearts of their parents that ache for them and want to see them come back to the Lord.
Almost without fail, every time I encounter a story like that, the Lord stirs in me to counsel them with the truths from the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke chapter 15, a parable the Lord taught when the Pharisees and scribes of His time grumbled against Him because He would receive and eat with sinners who wanted to know more about the closeness of the Father-God (v.1-3).
But in this parable, one peculiar truth strikes me the most. The fact that the father did not run after his lost son into the world searching for him and begging him to come home with him. Instead, he stayed at his house and kept his eyes on the horizon to watch for his son’s return: “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (v.20 ESV)
The compassion and the desire to see his son return can be unmistakably seen in the father. And yet, unlike the two preceding parables in Luke 15, in which the Lord shared about the Lost Sheep, for which the shepherd went out searching until he found it, even leaving the ninety-nine in the open countryside, and the parable of the Lost Coin, for which the owner of the house lit a lamp and swept diligently until she found it, the father in the parable of the prodigal son stayed put and did not go out to seek his son diligently, or left his house unattended to do so.
And for that peculiar difference, I am very thankful. Because it is our Savior’s mission to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and we surely join Him in that mission (Matthew 28:19-20), but even though we hold out the truth to them, we can’t convict the world of its sins, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. All we can do at times apart from praying, and especially when it comes to people who willfully walk away from God, is to keep our doors open and to wait until the Holy Spirit has given conviction to their hearts, and the Lord our Good Shepherd has led them home again. How we ought to receive them back, is where this parable teaches us volumes. But going diligently after the ones who willfully walk away can at times even prove counterproductive, as it can drive them even further away to pursue their own will. That is because we are dealing with the will of man who does not want to see or admit the error in their ways yet. The lost sheep wanted to be found, it was disoriented, and the lost coin had no resistance to being found. But people who want to walk their own way apart from God are different, it is the prerogative of their free will.
All we can do as parents is what the father did in this story, who kept his doors and gates open day and night in the hope of his son’s return, and during the day always scanned the horizon to see the silhouette of his son returning home, even from a distance off.
I want to encourage all who are in this place, who struggle with the fine balance of not enabling their loved one’s bad choices, while recognizing their free will, but at the same time with aching hearts search the horizon daily for signs of turnarounds. Don’t give up, pray without ceasing, as long as it takes, and know confidently that the Lord our Good Shepherd is out there searching for them, standing at the door of their hearts knocking, and will not return without them in His loving arms.
Over the course of the last ten years as a pastor, but also years prior to that as professional Christian counselor, I encountered many prodigal stories. Most of the time because of a son or a daughter that chose to live their life in the world, distant from God. Often, they were even raised in a church environment, attended with their parents, went to kid’s church or kid’s camps, and even raised their hands to accept Jesus into their hearts when asked by the Sunday school teacher. But as time went on the allures of the world drew all their attention and devotion and they made a conscious decision to live a life different from their upbringing, pursuing their passions and exploring their own will and ways instead. But in many cases that led to much suffering in their lives, and in the hearts of their parents that ache for them and want to see them come back to the Lord.
Almost without fail, every time I encounter a story like that, the Lord stirs in me to counsel them with the truths from the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke chapter 15, a parable the Lord taught when the Pharisees and scribes of His time grumbled against Him because He would receive and eat with sinners who wanted to know more about the closeness of the Father-God (v.1-3).
But in this parable, one peculiar truth strikes me the most. The fact that the father did not run after his lost son into the world searching for him and begging him to come home with him. Instead, he stayed at his house and kept his eyes on the horizon to watch for his son’s return: “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.” (v.20 ESV)
The compassion and the desire to see his son return can be unmistakably seen in the father. And yet, unlike the two preceding parables in Luke 15, in which the Lord shared about the Lost Sheep, for which the shepherd went out searching until he found it, even leaving the ninety-nine in the open countryside, and the parable of the Lost Coin, for which the owner of the house lit a lamp and swept diligently until she found it, the father in the parable of the prodigal son stayed put and did not go out to seek his son diligently, or left his house unattended to do so.
And for that peculiar difference, I am very thankful. Because it is our Savior’s mission to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and we surely join Him in that mission (Matthew 28:19-20), but even though we hold out the truth to them, we can’t convict the world of its sins, that is the job of the Holy Spirit. All we can do at times apart from praying, and especially when it comes to people who willfully walk away from God, is to keep our doors open and to wait until the Holy Spirit has given conviction to their hearts, and the Lord our Good Shepherd has led them home again. How we ought to receive them back, is where this parable teaches us volumes. But going diligently after the ones who willfully walk away can at times even prove counterproductive, as it can drive them even further away to pursue their own will. That is because we are dealing with the will of man who does not want to see or admit the error in their ways yet. The lost sheep wanted to be found, it was disoriented, and the lost coin had no resistance to being found. But people who want to walk their own way apart from God are different, it is the prerogative of their free will.
All we can do as parents is what the father did in this story, who kept his doors and gates open day and night in the hope of his son’s return, and during the day always scanned the horizon to see the silhouette of his son returning home, even from a distance off.
I want to encourage all who are in this place, who struggle with the fine balance of not enabling their loved one’s bad choices, while recognizing their free will, but at the same time with aching hearts search the horizon daily for signs of turnarounds. Don’t give up, pray without ceasing, as long as it takes, and know confidently that the Lord our Good Shepherd is out there searching for them, standing at the door of their hearts knocking, and will not return without them in His loving arms.
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Again, was nice to sit with copy of weekly devotional! Great time of reflection and absolutely grateful to our Father in Heaven for His patience, love and consistence is waiting for this daughter to wake up and follow Him ... lot of crooked paths taken ! But eventually ... am where He wants me to be. And now, I patiently wait and pray for my children, their spouses and their children to also come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior .... In all, I can give thanks to Him :)
Thank you Pastor for your insight in regard to the father not pursuing after his wayward son, but just watching and waiting. To be still and wait upon the Lord. He is good and His mercy endures forever.
n
Thank you, Pastor Allison, for this devotional explaining the difference between the lost sheep, the coin, & the prodigal.
nWhen our daughter was a teenager, I remarried, and she rebelled against my husband and refused to accept him as her step-father. We pursued her to no avail and God came to me in a dream. He said "I can't help her until you let go of her." So we did. We let her go her own way but continued to pray that her life would be preserved until she repented and found Jesus. It took some 30 years before she returned and we received each other with open arms. God is faithful to answer our prayers in His time.