Defiance towards God's Story

 

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.” (Luke 15:11-18 ESV).

 

Today’s reading comes from one of my favorite stories Jesus used in His teaching. We call it the “Parable of the Prodigal Son” because one of the central characters is a wayward son. However, the story is more about the father’s love for this wayward son. There is much to learn from this parable. Today, my focus is on the defiance and ultimate repentance of the “prodigal.

 

While it may seem exciting to think of God crafting an eternal story for our lives, the fact is that sometimes we don’t want someone else writing our stories—even God. It can feel a little invasive when God intervenes in personal plans and choices that we want to handle ourselves. We begin to bristle as his story-writing starts to cramp our style. To be sure, it’s a little tricky to rebel against God’s leading. But sometimes God’s people do that. Think of Jonah heading off for Tarshish instead of following God’s call to Nineveh (cf. Jonah 1). Or think of the Israelites’ frequent forays into the worship of idols instead of putting their trust in God.

 

Let me be a gentle as I can… this never ends well for us! Perhaps you can think of a time in your life when you’ve deliberately thrown off your faith in God and the teachings of Scripture, heading out in a bold new direction like the younger son in Jesus’ parable. Perhaps you showed defiance by refusing to do as you know to be God’s will in your life, even when others are calling to you to return.

 

Fortunately, God seems to exhibit enormous patience toward our defiance. Our rejection grieves him as He sees the pain we experience personally and often cause in those we love. He will make a way for us to return and welcome us home when we do. Is it such a time in your life today? Come on home… that is where you belong!