You all must have heard of OneRepublic (if you’ve never heard the song Apologize before you must live in a cage or something) but did you also know that they are a Christian band? I believe this to be very cool, because they also write awesome songs about it. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful songs they wrote is Prodigal.

We all know the story of the Prodigal Son. In short: the son receives a big amount of money from his father, spends it all on everything that’s wrong and then returns, on his knees, to his father, who takes him back again. The story has been told so many times, so many songs have been written and so many plays have been seen. But yes this song struck me more than any other song that I have heard about it. The lyrics:

Run away, run away
Like a prodigal
Don’t You wait for me
So ashamed, so ashamed
But I need You so
And You wait for me

These words outline perfectly how I feel at times. I do so many things wrong, over and over and over and over again, and each time I’m so ashamed. Each time I run away so hard from God, I spend all my money on things that are so wrong, and each time I don’t dare to return. I’m so ashamed. God, my Father, let Jesus come down to earth for my horribleness, for everything I do wrong. Jesus was crucified because of the fact that I can’t control myself. And yet, each time, I run away, I run away.

But each time I have to come back. Each time I have to walk the way back home to my Father, fall on my knees, so ashamed, and ask for forgiveness. And no matter how many times, no matter how much money I’ve spent, no matter how much I’ve sinned – I can come back. And each time the Father is there, waiting for me. At the end of that dark road, He stands, looking for me. He calls my name, hoping I’ll return. Each and every time He waits for me.

It is not about the son, it’s not about me. Yes, I am prodigal – I am lost. But no matter how lost I am, how deep I sank this time, how black the night is – there is Someone who is waiting for my return. My Father. No matter how many times I ran away or will run away, He will be there – waiting for me. Always. Forever. He’ll wait for me.