[The older brother] was angry and refused to go in.
His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” Luke 15:28–31
Heavenly Father, we’d never boast about our many years of serving you. Nevertheless, we acknowledge at times our ingratitude matches that of the older brother. We can whine and pine with the best of them. But we do our best repenting not by groveling, but by preaching the gospel to our hearts, so here goes.
Father, every day you run to us in the gospel—inviting, imploring, pleading with us to get on the dance floor of the Gospel. You love it when we turn up the music of mercy, sing the songs of redemption, and make merry to the praise of your grace.
As with the “elder brother,” you constantly confront our gospel-amnesia, saying, “My children, you’re always with me because I’m always with you. Nothing will separate you from my love, exhaust my grace, or deplete my mercies. I greatly delight in you and rejoice over you with singing.”
“All I have is yours—everything. Your sins are forgiven; and I’ve hidden your life in Jesus and made his righteousness yours. I’ve made you citizens of heaven and co-heirs of the new earth. All your sin, sorrows, wounds, and brokenness have an expiration date. I have you in my heart and no one can take you from my hand. Come, my children, let us rejoice and be glad.”
We praise you, Father. Keep beating down our forgetfulness and ungratefulness with massive love blasts of the Gospel. We are ready to dance. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ peerless and praiseworthy name.