Joy of Repentance
Scripture Reading: Luke 15:8–23
“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry,” Luke 15:21–23.
Joy of Repentance
Father God, we worship you for who you are. We thank you for your faithfulness to us, for your plan of redemption, and that you love your own to the end. We thank you for your good thoughts for us, for your amazing grace, for your excellent loving-kindness, and for the joy of salvation. O Father, we pray that today your children will arise and go to you to be reconciled, restored, re-attired, renewed, refreshed, and re-established in their proper positions in you in Jesus’ name we pray.
The story of the prodigal son opens in Luke 15:10 with the words of Jesus: “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Jesus tells how the younger of two sons asks his father for his inheritance prematurely. The son then moves far away and “wasted his substance with riotous living ,” verse 13. Soon, a mighty famine strikes the land and the son goes to work feeding swine with husks. Since no one gave him food, he also ate the husks lest he “perish with hunger,” verse 17. The son finally comes to his senses, noting that the servants of his father’s house have bread enough to eat and to spare. He decides to go home, confess his mistakes, and humble himself before his father, saying, “make me as one of thy hired servants,” verse 19. But even when “he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him,” verse 20.
For those of us who have been born again for a long time, the concept of repentance seems so far away, but many of us have fallen from the high places and we need to repent. The true meaning of repentance is to move back to the penthouse where God has placed you. Some of us are living in the basement.
God prepared a penthouse for you, but you have fallen. You are living underground, below your capacity; you cannot face God anymore. He is waiting for you to ascend because when we repent and get back to that place of salvation, of grace, of joy, and to the heart of God, He rejoices.
God loves a party and the party is usually because that child whom He hasn’t heard from in a while has come back to Him; that one who has not prayed to Him in a while is now praying. There is joy in heaven when we repent. I pray that we will not leave repentance only to those who are not born again, but that we will repent by getting back to the high place that God has prepared for us in His Kingdom.
God’s Word says that He created us with the intent of dominion. When we are operating below our destiny, God is never pleased. He is waiting for us to call on Him like the prodigal son. The prodigal son realized what was possible with his father, and he could not wait until his father died to get what would be his. Many of us say, “I don’t want to wait for heaven; I want to enjoy life now.” The enemy waits and watches. He sees that we are “collecting pleasures.” Notice how it says, “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land; and he began to be in want,” Luke 15:14.
Why did the devil not bring the famine as soon as the son got his inheritance? Satan waited patiently until all the son’s anointing and resources were depleted. For many of us who are flirting with evil, the devil is watching: “Well, they’re no longer with God, but they’re still praying and still going to church.” He is waiting for the oil to finish before bringing the famine.
If you are wise, do not wait until you have stooped so low as to eat with swine. The Bible says that the young man was Jewish. Observant Jews do not eat or touch pigs. He was so hungry and so in lack that he found himself craving the food of the pigs. Are you eating with the pigs today? Are you losing your temper? Are you thirsting for the alcohol that you know is not in your best interest? Are you hungry for things of which you do not normally partake? You are in a dry place, because you have walked away from God. I am calling you today to come back. God is waiting for you to return to His penthouse so that He can have a party and rejoice.
Prayer Points:
I pray the grace of repentance to all who are reading this. If you have never given your life to Christ, you need to start there. Pray and say, “Lord God, I come before you and I repent. I surrender my life to you.” If you have already given your life to Him but have backslidden, God is waiting for you to come back so that He can restore you. Did you see what the father did? He instructed the servants to bring the best robe and shoes for his son’s feet. He said to kill the fatted calf and to eat and be merry. Beloved, examine yourself. Repent, be converted, and come into the Presence of the Lord where you will experience refreshment and joy. God bless you in Jesus’ name.
