“The sun comes up alone
Like a funeral for my home
Like a mirror for my soul
But I should’ve known better”*
These lyrics thrust me into a reminiscence of the cold darkness that crept into my life without God… life as a “Prodigal Soul”. The first verse paints the repercussions of being detached and adamantly separated from God pretty accurately: waking up every morning with a spiritual void. While you may not wake up every morning feeling that way (and I hope you don’t), you could say we are all prodigal souls. From “small” sins to a long journey away from God, we all have drifted away to some extent. The most pivotal moment of our lives is when we realize we have a “God-shaped-hole” in our lives. (I know, I know, that sounds terribly cliche; just bear with me). In other words, we have to admit to ourselves we are hollow and lost whenever we try to severe our souls off from His Love.
“I’m a prodigal soul
And I want to come home
I can’t make it alone
Won’t You bring me home?”*
Admitting we are in desperate need of God is one thing… but coming back ‘home’ to Him? I don’t know about you, but for me, it is way easier to say I wanted to ‘come back home’ than to actually convert that into action. As much as we hate our sin, the Enemy tries his best to keep us hooked into it. Even when I got to the point of desiring full surrender to God, I was weighed down by my past lifestyle.
Again, the lyrics are on point: “I can’t make it alone”… so, how are we supposed to get back home?
“For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you,’” (Isaiah 41:13(NLT)). That pretty much sums it up; God will help you every step of the way. He wants so badly for all of us to let Him gently take our hand and help us make our way home… like a patient, loving Father teaching a baby how to walk.
The context of Isaiah 41 sheds light on the entirety of the circumstance in which God is promising to help Israel. Previous to this promise, Israel had fallen into idolatry… again. Despite being His chosen people, they believed idols fashioned to their liking were of more value than their own Creator. If you think about it, Israel was essentially the original prodigal son. They suffered blows from their enemies during separation from Him and finally recognized how imperative it was that they solely followed the one true God. Israel needed His help to abandon idolatry and become the nation He purposed them to be. Just like you and me, God’s chosen nation could not come back to Him purely through their individual efforts; it required guidance from God.
Israel never truly became a perfect nation; just like us, they would fall back into sin. However there is a huge difference between Old Testament Israel and modern-day people; (yeah, you guessed it…) Jesus! We are granted salvation simply by believing in Him and repenting of our rebellious ways. Through sincere faith and repentance, we can rest assured that God will not abandon us, despite our prodigal souls. Don’t get me wrong; it is important to truly turn our backs on our rebellious ways and actively take steps back towards home. And, as hard as that may seem, remembering the abundant grace God gives can be the motivation that helps usher us away from toxic, ‘prodigal’ lifestyles. Empowered by His grace, our lives begin looking more Christ-like every step we take. At the same time we are not expected to find it in our own strength and do it alone; God will faithfully hold our hands as we make our way back home.
Taking it one day at a time,
Janelle
* lyrics by ”Prodigal Soul” by Switchfoot
