The Best of the Portals of Prayer

Read: Luke 15:11-24 / Psalm 92

“When He came to Himself.”
Luke 15:17

How Do We Find Ourselves?

The Germans have a greeting that, translated literally, means “how do you find yourself?” The question concerns itself with the general well-being of people. It is an interesting question for all people. Just how does a person find themselves?
The prodigal son in Christ’s parable found himself when he was sitting in a pig-sty. He had gone through all his money. The companions he had picked and abandoned him. He was debating whether he should attempt to satisfy his hunger with food of pigs. Then he “came to himself”. Like the prodigal, we wander off to a far country when we sin. We leave the Father’s house and table. We try to satisfy our spiritual hunger with the empty husks of do-it-yourself religion. We need to come to our senses.
After the prodigal son had found himself, he resolved to go home, to his father and say, “I have sinned”. We must go home with him and admit that we, also, have sinned. The wonderful thing about this is that when we return, we find that the Father is waiting. He opens His loving arms. He forgives us our sins. He restores us to son-ship. He celebrates our return. We truly find ourselves in our Father’s house.

Father, apart from You, we are lost. Help us to find ourselves and abide in Your presence forever. Amen.

June 03, 1972