Have you ever been in a scenario where you have noticed once, twice, three times or more that an individual who was wildin doing whatever she wanted got blessed the moment she decided to get serious with God. While on the other hand, those that have been faithful continue to suffer.
I know I am not the only one who has asked this question before. I believe that many have asked this question, and allowed things to come into their hearts that should not have. Things like bitterness, competition, stagnation, and simply giving up, but this is not God’s will for his people. I am going to correlate this question to singles as I attempt to answer it from the word of God primarily using the story of the prodigal son.
I had not thought on this question however in some time. I do remember asking God about this in a previous season of my life, but I feel that I had too much going on in my life and heart to hear God clearly on the matter at that time. Recently, I was in the restroom getting ready for work, and the thought below came to my mind regarding the topic:
“It’s already Yours. You just have to change your thinking.”
Immediately, I was reminded of the prodigal son, and my mind went to the father and his son sitting down outside of the party for the prodigal brother, who had just come home. I picture the faithful brother of the prodigal determined not to go into the party to celebrate his brother as he sits outside alone and angry. Upset at the ideal that his father, who is God in the story, is being unjust and unfair to throw a party and celebrate his rebellious brother blessing him. While the faithful brother continues to go through and suffer or so that is what the faithful brother thought.
Competition was the faithful brother’s first reaction when he said:
“‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’.” Luke 15:29-30 (NIV)
His father’s response. “All that I have is already yours.” The faithful son just needed to be reminded that what he thought he was missing out on by being faithful to his father was already his. He simply needed his father to change his thinking. He had access to all of the fattened cows and everything that belonged to his father. However, him taking his eyes off of his father and the business of his father’s house and placing them on his brother caused him to loathe what he had as if he was missing out on something. That attitude of loathing what we have in Christ for feeling as though we are missing out on something can easily cause us to miss out. Why? Because it is all a mindset, and our mindset affects our faith which in turn affects what we can receive as believers.
When the faithful son was at rest maintaining his position in his father’s house without the distraction of his brother’s rebellion; he was fine, but when he took his eyes off of his assignment in his father’s house, he became discouraged. He allowed rejection to enter in, and saw himself as diminished in his father’s eyes, and beneath his celebrated brother when that was not the case.
How many of us singles have felt this way? We have obeyed God all we know how to the point of much suffering to have to seemingly continue to suffer while our brother who was so rebellious immediately gets blessed shortly after his change of heart.
How many of us have felt rejected by God in this as if our obedience has been in vain? Or how many of us have felt as though God was holding out on us while blessing the disobedient.
Two things the father said in the scenario to console the faithful son and change his thinking:
The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. Luke 15:31 (AMP)
In other words, what the son was complaining about regarding receiving a cow or goat to celebrate was already his, and everything else that belonged to his father. He just needed to shift his perspective.
The other thing that the father said was that it was necessary to celebrate the other son (Luke 15:32). (Jubilee Bible 2000)
And it was necessary. Why? Because the prodigal son’s experience produced an identity crisis which could only lead him to more poor choices if he was not quickly reminded of just who he was. Too many poor choices would have ultimately destroyed him, and this is not God’s will. Hence, God’s urgency in presenting a different perspective to correct his son’s flawed image of himself.
“Quick, bring out the best robe and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand, and sandals for his feet (Luke 15:22).” (NIV)The above situation did not only produce an identity crisis in the prodigal son, but also in the faithful son. It was the humanity of the faithful son to question his identity, worth, and love from the father after all of his faithfulness. This I believe is a natural question that will come up, and it is okay for the question to come up as long as we get God’s perspective on the matter.
The way that we get God’s perspective on the matter is to go to God. The prodigal son humbled himself and went to God to get his perspective of himself, and God went and left the party to meet his faithful son to share his heart with him. As long as we get to God, and are humble enough to hear him, we will not be moved because of these types of scenarios.
God showed himself as a compassionate father to both sons dealing with them according to their specific needs. Not according to partiality toward one or the other, but according to the unique needs that each of his sons had. Because God loves all of his sons and daughters. He loves those who obey and those who need to fall harder to begin to obey later.
It is Satan’s objective to convince both the faithful son and the unfaithful son out of his inheritance. The faithful by believing God is unjust and his obedience has been in vain, and the unfaithful simply through impatience, carnality, and rebellion. Many of God’s people fall into this trap, but we need to begin to recognize it as just that a trap.
What God has promised us is already ours. In God’s mind, it already belongs to us. God is at total rest and peace concerning what he has promised us. It is us who become discouraged and allow things to come in and distract us. If we hold on, at the appointed time, we will see the fruit of our obedience and steadfastness.
I will also add that both sons in this story are both necessary so that God can get his full glory as not only a sustainer of those who obey him, but also a redeemer of those who disobey him. Both testimonies are necessary to point back to God and his redeeming power, so that all will know that they have a place in Christ if they humble themselves in coming to him. Let’s not get distracted by how someone gets to the revelation of their need for God, but let’s be thankful that they got there.
Be sure to read part two next week as I talk about competition, anger, and bitterness regarding this topic.
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