That picture of God is not true as we cannot find it in Jesus. Jesus is the express image of God.
As a high school student I remember I was taught equation in mathematics and there was something called constant in an equation. The mathematics teacher taught us that this means no matter what happens this particular variable does not change because it is a constant. This is the same with God as revealed in the person of Jesus. He is a constant by the reason of His word. This is why the book of Hebrews describes Him as the same yesterday, today and forever. He doesn’t change based on any man’s action, He is who He is: A faithful Father.
When you err as a believer, God doesn’t leave you, His presence does not disappear. The Holy Spirit within you is the seal of His presence and He is there abiding forever. (John14:16). Yes! He is always present even in those period you were not acting in accordance to His word. I know how bad it can feel when you are convicted of having gone against God’s will, however, it is not of God to make you think He is now away from you. He never leaves. At those moment you feel down, the devil uses this to weaken your perception of God’s love to feeling you are now a mess. To God, you are never too messed up for Him to leave you; He is always there.
One bible event that gives us a perfect picture of this is the parable of the prodigal son which most of the time is used to preach about not being covetous and ensuring accountability.
The parable of the prodigal son speaks beyond instructions on accountability. The parable brings something powerful about the father-son relationship which we now earn with God through the person of Jesus. The prodigal son demanded for his share of his father’s wealth and went all out to squander it. This was a picture of a son (believer) who has gone out of the Father’s will. Now, do take note that it was the son who left the father, the father never left the son.
In the strange land, having come to a state of nothingness, he was stick in the pain of having left the father, but could not go back because he now felt like a mess. He was too ashamed to go back, so, he began to feed with pigs. After the son (believer) was convicted by the Holy Spirit, he decided to go back home. The most beautiful part of that event is that the father received him joyfully because to the father, he never stopped being a son, it was the son who left. The father is a constant.
The prodigal son knew he is a son, but believed wrongly that he is no longer worthy of a son because he already sinned, but we saw the father celebrating what we would have naturally called a failure. His elder brother who had always been with the father was angry, he could not understand why someone who had wished the father dead would be celebrated that gloriously. This parable is more than teaching on covetousness or faithfulness, it’s a picture of what Jesus want us to see in the Father. It’s a love beyond the mind of men.
The parable brings to us the true nature of God. Even though the prodigal son came to a point of feeling unworthy, he even thought the father would reduce him to the level of a servant, however, the father welcomed him with all the shout of joy he could get. The Father never leaves you; if you feel He is absent, you are the one who have left Him. He is always present, He is a constant in the life of a believer.
I don’t know what your relationship with the Father is looking like now. That thought line of the Father being away from you because of your mess is the devil’s plot to keep you more farther from the Father. Don’t fall for that bait. The prodigal son kept trying to help himself with self-pity until he came to the realization of his father’s love even for those who were not sons and that brought him back on track. God is not angry with you and He will never leave you. You only need to draw close to Him, He wants to throw a party because of you.
Does this suggest you can go on misbehaving because God would not desert you? Absolutely not. It is a call to a stronger relationship with God, a state where you come to the full knowledge of His love and would not want to ever go out of His presence again having known He doesn’t leave. Imagine the prodigal son taking a trip off again? That’s totally unlikely. That is what right believing does to you.
As you go this week, let that be your confidence. He is with you; a constant factor.
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye
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