No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame. (Psalm 25:3)
The Prodigal Son lived in a palace. It was the place where he was met with the unconditional love and forgiveness of his father — not only daily, but moment by moment. But when this young man told his father he wanted to collect his inheritance, he essentially exchanged the palace for a pigsty.
“There was a man who 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. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating.” (Luke 15:11-16)
We do the very same thing every time we exchange our will for God’s will in our lives. In demanding his inheritance “now,” the Prodigal Son was refusing to be patient and follow the father’s timing. To be sure, he had a time of carefree celebration in the far country, but it didn’t last. It never does. He squandered all he had been given and found himself utterly bankrupt, eating husks with the swine, and longing to be back in his father’s loving presence.
Does that resonate with you as much as it does with me? Look at it this way: The Prodigal Son already had his inheritance. It was his by birth, but it was not the right time for him to receive it. God not only knows exactly what we need, He also knows exactly the right time to give it to us. But the sin of impatience got the best of the young son. Impatience starts as an infection and winds up as an insidious disease, and it will eventually lead us away from the palace into the pigsty.
Remember, it’s not enough to want what God wants for our lives. We must wait to receive it in His timing. Often “now” is not God’s perfect timing for our imperfect lives. The shepherd boy David had to wait seven years to receive what God wanted for his life, which was the king’s throne in Israel, and that wait occurred after he had been anointed three times to become king!
So let me ask you this question: Where in your life right now are you dealing with a bit of impatience?
If this message finds you on the other side of impatience that has pushed you into a pigsty, fear not! The younger son eventually made his way back from the pigsty to the palace, where he was met with the unconditional love and forgiveness of his father. Amazing grace, wouldn’t you agree? Even when we mess it up, God turns our mess into His masterpiece. As the psalmist said, those whose hope is in the Lord will never be put to shame. Turn to Him. Experience His forgiveness. Feel His love. Rejoice in His grace!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 