Apr 6, 20214 min read

Prodigals Can You Hear the Shofar? It's Time to Come Home!

I looked and saw the Lord blowing a Shofar. I was puzzled because although I understand there are many uses for the Shofar, in my experience, the Shofar is used mainly during worship. I asked the Lord what He was calling attention to as He was the one blowing it.

I heard the Lord say, "I am calling the prodigals. Many have been wandering and are having trouble finding their way back home. I sound the Shofar so that they can find their way. The Shofar is awakening memories that Satan has covered over of my goodness. It is time for them to awaken and come home."

I am reminded of the old cowbell that parents would call their children home before we had these things called cell phones. You'd hear that bell, and it was time to come home.

From a Biblical standpoint, I immediately see the Father on the lookout for his son.

14 With everything spent and nothing left, he grew hungry, because there was a severe famine in that land.15 So he begged a farmer in that country to hire him. The farmer hired him and sent him out to feed the pigs. 16 The son was so famished, he was willing even to eat the slop given to the pigs, because no one would feed him a thing.

17 Humiliated, the son finally realized what he was doing, and he thought, “There are many workers at my father's house who have all the food they want with plenty to spare. They lack nothing. Why am I here dying of hunger, feeding these pigs, and eating their slop?” 18 I want to go back home to my father's house, and I'll say to him, "Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. 19 I'll never again be worthy to be called your son. Please, Father, just treat me like one of your employees."

20 So the young son set off for home. From a long distance away, his father saw him coming, dressed as a beggar, and great compassion swelled up in his heart for his son who was returning home. The father raced out to meet him, swept him up in his arms, hugged him dearly, and kissed him over and over with tender love.

21 Then the son said,” Father, I was wrong. I have sinned against you. I could never deserve to be called your son. Just let me be."

The father interrupted and said, “Son, you're home now.” <1>

Over the years, many have developed a suspicious mindset about the prodigals. We want them to prove the change, walk the walk and talk the talk. I find it interesting that in the parable, the father welcomed the son with open arms and immediately began to celebrate. There was no testing period, just the acceptance that he had returned.

One of the things I noticed as a pastor was that our youth had difficulty making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The by-product of this was that we had a shrinking number of young adults. The ones who stayed in the area found their numbers diminished as friends headed for college. And it seemed if they could not make the transition successfully, they were likely to drop out as well. Many are quickly indoctrinated with an anti-Christian agenda within our college structure and pulled further away from the Body of Christ.

Two-thirds (66 percent) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research.<2>

While we say, "they are working on their testimony," I want to suggest that the culture influences them at a greater level than the church is affecting them. Is it possible there is a disconnect between the body of Christ and the upcoming generations?

So, what do we do? We pray! We pray for those children (and adults) who have wandered. We intentionally look for them to return home. And when they come home, we welcome them with open arms, not a checklist of questions.

Another question is how do we welcome them back? I have often advised people to give things time and to ensure they are walking with the Lord. This is especially valuable before putting people into leadership positions. Putting someone prematurely into a leadership position can create more problems than a blessing.

What we need is an increase in wisdom and discernment so we can see past the moment, past the surface, and partner with Holy Spirit to walk the prodigal into their God-ordained destiny.

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation into the true knowledge of Him .<3>

I see a steady and consistent praying for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to know the heart of the Father.

Why did Jesus tell the parable? I suspect there were many reasons, but when it comes to the Father:

· The revelation of the Father's heart (God's heart) for wayward children

· To help us catch a vision for the return of the wanderers

· To remind us that the return of one is a reason to celebrate

· That we need the wisdom and revelation of the Father to welcome the son/daughter home

· To remember that no one can wander so far away that they cannot come back

As we look at the one who wandered away

· The Father always leaves the light on so we can find our way back

· The wanderer comes back dirty, but the Father offers safety, cleansing, and family

· Once we have been a son/daughter, we can never step into the role of a servant

I see and hear the Lord blowing the Shofar. It is time for the prodigals to come home. Since it is time for the prodigals to come home, it also means it is also time for the spiritual parents to get ready. How are you going to welcome the wanderers home?

<2> Earls, Aaron. Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church as Young Adults. https://lifewayresearch.com/2019/01/15/most-teenagers-drop-out-of-church-as-young-adults/. Accessed 4/5/21.

Prodigals Can You Hear the Shofar? It's Time to Come Home!

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