Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.’ So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. Luke 15:11-20

This is an excerpt from the well-known parable of the prodigal son. It is a great parable and contains many rich truths about God and His Kingdom. This week I want to focus on only one part of the story. The younger son demands his share of the estate and then leaves home, only to squander every last cent of his inheritance. What is going on in this young man’s mind to cause him to do what he did? Is he simply impatient? Is he selfish? Is he discontent with his life or unhappy with his circumstances? I think each of these may be symptoms, but it seems the true cause is a lack of trust in God. The young man is not willing to wait on God’s timetable to receive what he would eventually receive anyway. Instead he wants it now. Instead of believing that God knows what is best for him, he feels what God has given him is not good enough and decides to take matters into his own hands.

What were the consequences of his choice? He ended up losing everything. He went “from riches to rags” overnight. Fortunately, he was able to realize his sin and humbly seek the forgiveness of his father. And his father, like our Heavenly Father, was loving, gracious and merciful, and gladly accepted him back into his home.

What about us? How many of us have chosen to do things our own way or in our own timeframe instead of trusting in the Lord? In how many of these situations did things work out according to our plan? (The good news is that you can come back to God any time you want – He is waiting.)

God is completely sovereign; He engineers our circumstances. He knows what is best for us and His timetable is always perfect. When we take the shortcut of our own ways, we short-change ourselves of the blessing He had intended for us. Our lives may be filled with difficult circumstances, but God is right there in the middle of them. He is working. Trust Him.