Luke 15:32 It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Those descriptions of the prodigal son are so rich AND so true of all of us who have embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ. We, too, like him were dead ... but are now alive. We too, like him, were lost and are now found! And this is NOT due to any effort of our own. But rather it is due SOLELY to the grace of God (Ephesians 2:1-9).
As I reflected upon this, I thought of a poem first published in 1893 by English poet, Francis Thompson. The poem, "The Hound of Heaven" is a reference to God and his pursuit of lost sinners. This might seem a strange way to refer to God, but here is an explanation that I believe captures the essence of this haunting, yet beautiful poem.
The name is strange. It startles one at first. It is so bold, so new, so fearless. It does not attract, rather the reverse. But when one reads the poem this strangeness disappears. The meaning is understood. As the hound follows the hare, never ceasing in its running, ever drawing nearer in the chase, with unhurrying and imperturbed pace, so does God follow the fleeing soul by His Divine grace. And though in sin or in human love, away from God it seeks to hide itself, Divine grace follows after, unwearyingly follows ever after, till the soul feels its pressure forcing it to turn to Him alone in that never ending pursuit (quote from The Neumann Press Book of Verse, 1988).
Thanks be to our GRACIOUS God ... that he pursued us. Otherwise, we would never have come to HIM (John 6:44)!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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