Tauren Wells gets super real in his song "Come Home" from his latest album, Joy In The Morning, and rightfully so. He cuts right to the heart of a major reality in our culture today. So many people are struggling in their faith, averse to faith in Jesus, walking away from God and Church because of pain, negative experiences with Christians, or not having a safe space to process their difficult questions about life and faith.
When I hear this song, I can't help but think about Luke 15 and the parable of the prodigal son. It's a story that Jesus told to reveal the heart of God the Father towards us when we stray from Him and when we come home to Him.
If you wanna leave/If you gotta go/I'll be right here/When you come home
Coming home to God.
I know that you've seen a sin of hypocrisy/That's the human condition, that's not God's heartbeat/I'm sorry.../ Surrounded by confusion/You just wanna know the "why" behind the doin'/And they treat you like a question's an intrusion/But God will answer you
The younger son in this story rejected his father, left his house, and spent his entire inheritance on sin and wild living. When he finally came to his senses and decided to return to his father's house, he wasn't expecting much. He rehearsed his apology speech and expected to be treated like a servant, no longer like a son.
But do you see the way the father in this story responded to his son returning home? That's the way God feels about you.
"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him." (Luke 15:20 NLT)
There are a bunch of reasons we may find ourselves away from a relationship with God or in a hard season spiritually at one time in our lives or another.
Maybe you've never placed your faith in Jesus for salvation or maybe you've had a relationship with God and wandered away from Him. Maybe you've had a tough experience in a church community or been hurt by a Christian, and that led you away from God and from the Church. And if that has been your experience, I'm so sorry.
But I'm so thankful that God welcomes us with love and rejoicing when we return to Him with sincere and repentant hearts. He loves you, He's seeking you out, and His arms are open wide to you. Your story can be one of coming home to God too, just like the son in this parable.
Coming home to God's people.
You can bring your doubts/You can think out loud/Love will hear you out/Come home
The older son in this story wasn't happy that his father had so extravagantly welcomed the younger son home after his sin and rebellion. He thought he was the better son because he hadn't strayed from the father's house. And honestly, fellow Jesus followers, sometimes your heart and mine can look like that too.
There comes a point in our journey of Christian maturity when we have to ask ourselves a tough question. Does my attitude toward those who are struggling in their faith or finding their way back to God look more like God the Father or more like the older son? I know it might not feel great, but I want to encourage you to sincerely bring that question before God and let Him speak to you and refine you as needed.
God is the Father of a family of spiritual sons and daughters. (Ephesians 1:4-5) So, coming home to the arms of God also means coming back into the arms of His people.
And just like Tauren sings about in this song, sometimes we as Christians don't do a great job of walking with people through their pain and struggles, their doubts and questions. Sometimes we meet people with harshness instead of gentleness and with ridicule instead of truth packaged in love.
But God's desire is that when people come to faith in Christ and into the Christian community, they would experience His love through us and be pointed to Him so He can guide them into His truth, change their lives, and heal their hearts.
Final Thoughts
Church, let's ask God to do a work in our hearts so that our actions toward people reflect His heart toward them. And if you find yourself away from God today, know that you haven't waited too long to come to God. You haven't strayed too far away. You can still come home.
Find "Come Home" on Tauren Wells' latest album, Joy In The Morning. Buy it on Apple Music or stream it on Spotify. Read the full lyrics of "Come Home" here.
NRT contributor Jasmin Patterson is a lifelong fan of Christian music who is passionate about helping others connect with Christ. She lives in Kansas City where she serves in college ministry and runs a blog to help seekers and believers discover and live biblical Christianity.
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