Friday
08-14-2026
By: Brenda
“God was Watching and Waiting”
When Jesus shared the parable of the Prodigal Son, He was not simply telling a story about a rebellious young man.
He was revealing the heart of our Father.
A heart that never stops loving, never stops watching, never stops hoping, and never stops welcoming His children home.
Some of us have walked away. Some of us have drifted slowly. Some of us have been pulled by circumstances, pain, disappointment, or confusion. Some of us feel like we have gone too far, stayed too long, or messed up too deeply.
But Jesus told this story so every wandering heart would know one Truth.
That, God has not moved. That, God has not changed. That, God has not stopped loving us. And that, God is waiting for us.
In Luke 15:
Jesus describes the father seeing his son “a great way off.” That meant the father was watching. Not once. Not occasionally. But continually. The father in this story waited. He hoped. He looked toward the road. He kept his eyes on the horizon.
And when his son finally turned his face homeward- dirty, ashamed, and empty-handed, the father did not stand still.
He ran to him. He embraced him.
He covered him. And he restored him.
This is the picture Jesus wanted us to see. A Father who runs toward His children, not away from them.
The older brother struggled. He did not understand why the father celebrated.
He did not understand mercy. He did not understand grace. And he did not understand the joy of restoration.
But the father gently reminded him.
“Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry… for your brother was dead and is alive again, was lost and now is found.”
This is the heart of God. God rejoices when the lost come home. God celebrates when the broken return. God delights in restoration. And we as brothers and sisters in Christ are called to rejoice with Him. To hug the returning. To cry with them. To pray with them. To welcome them. To celebrate their homecoming.
I have walked closely with God for many years. But many years ago life hit hard.
I drifted. I made choices I regret. I felt unworthy, too ashamed to pray, and too embarrassed to return. One evening, when I sat alone, I whispered, “God, I don’t even know how to come back.” I expected silence. But instead, I felt a gentle tug.
A reminder of my Father’s love for me.
I opened my Bible and read a verse I once knew by heart. Suddenly I realized.
God had never left me. God was waiting.
God was watching. God was loving me the whole time. My steps back to Him were small, but they were real. And heaven rejoiced.
When we stray. When we feel far from God. When we feel unworthy. When we feel ashamed. When we feel confused. When we feel like we do not know how to return.
We need to remember. God is waiting. God is watching. And God is loving us right now.
God rejoices at our first step home.
We do not have to come back perfect.
We do not have to come back strong.
We do not have to come back with answers. We just need to come back.
God will meet us on the road. God will run to us. God will embrace us. And God will restore us.
Oh, how God loves us ❤️
Dear Father in heaven,
For every heart reading this today.
And for every wandering heart, or every hurting heart, or every ashamed heart, I ask You to draw them gently back to You.
Remind all of us Father, that Your love has never changed. Remind us that Your mercy is still open. Remind us that Your arms are still stretched wide.
Let us feel Your presence again. Let us hear Your voice again. Let us know we are welcome home.
Heal what is broken in us. Restore what was lost in us. And may heaven rejoice as Your children return.
In Your Son’s precious name, Amen.
Have a blessed day and a blessed Sabbath to come…
God loves you ❤️ and so do I ❤️