I always take time to reflect when I write these blog posts. I think of significant moments in my life and I trust the Holy Spirit to impart some of the joys and revelations of my journey with you. In the last few weeks I have found myself feeling hopeful, hopeless, joyful, depressed, confident and ashamed. Lockdown has done a number on my emotions. Many of my friends have experienced similar during this time. In all the loneliness and isolation – I was reminded of a sermon I had the privilege of sharing with some friends and family and now I have the opportunity to share part of that with you.
One of the most famous parables that Jesus told – The story of the prodigal son. One of my absolute favorite’s because it reflects so many aspects of the kingdom BUT mainly because it reveals to us The Father’s Heart for His Children. Let’s read Luke 15 Vs 11 till 19.
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
I think sometimes we read this part of scripture (vs 17-19) and think that’s a desperate man who acknowledges exactly where he is and humbles himself, but I think there is something even more to see. Here is a man who has forgot the LOVE of HIS FATHER.
You see, he grew up in his father’s house. He knows who his father is. He probably saw the generous nature of his Father. He has experienced his father’s blessings but when EVERYTHING was against him, he forgot – for a moment – how much his father loves him.
How many of us are in that space today? Or how many of us have been in that space over the last while?
Perhaps you have seen God move in miraculous ways before. You’ve seen Him heal the broken hearted, heal the ill, restore the sinner. You’ve seen it and perhaps even experienced it, BUT when life has you (locked)down, you were somehow aware of His love but also had forgotten His love.
The father in the story goes on to throw a big celebration for his son that has returned! He was generous and forgiving. He never expected his son to earn back his love. He simply loved him because that is who he is.
I love this scripture in Romans 8
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God’s word to us is that NOTHING can remove us from HIS LOVE. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! No matter how lonely you feel, how much you’ve sinned or how hopeless you feel. NOTHING CAN SEPERATE YOU FROM HIS LOVE. He loves you. He always will. That will never change, even if we forget.
Much love,
Hayden Hayl’
A Worship Diary 
So good bro! Thank you, much love.
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