Me: That is a close up Prodigal!

Prodigal: Yes, I just want to be near you.

I had the privilege to attend services at a synagogue with an older friend. She had invited me for Passover services and I had never been to a service before. I have heard many discussions and talks about Passover from a Christian service, bible study or book. I had never actual been to observe Passover from a Jewish service. I thought, this is a great opportunity for the Lord to show me something about His chosen people.

We had made plans to meet at her house and then drive together. You see she has health problems and is unable to drive now. She has a caretaker who drives her to the services. We quickly made plans that I would ride with them to the service.

The service showed me so much and left me with several questions. I was happy that I was able to observe the services. There was much that was new to me and was a surprise and there was somethings that I suspected.

After we finished, we get back into the car to drive back to her place and she asks me how the service went. See one major part of the service is that it is almost completely in Hebrew. I was pretty lost, as far as being able to understand a lot of it. In fact I didn’t even know at one point that a prayer was being said.

While we were driving my friend began to explain to me that she does not know Hebrew either because she was a child in Europe during the War and was not able to learn Hebrew. So she said it was ok if I did not understand because she does not understand.

I started thinking. Why go? What do you learn? How can you gain from a service that you don’t understand? What would be the point? Without me voicing my thoughts she suddenly answered as if she could read my mind. She said “I go because I want to be close to God.” “I want to be in God’s house.”

The answer was so quiet, so honest and quick with no long explanation that it caused me to pause. The conversation only paused a minute before we all began talking again.

She began talking about how she is going to church services the next day on Sunday morning with her caregiver. I had known she had been going to church and knew that she knew Jesus. What I did not know is that she attends a church service that is only Spanish speaking. My friend doesn’t speak spanish.

Once again she talks about how she wants to be close to God. Why would someone attend not one but two services that she could not understand? Why not go somewhere that you could gain something from or understand a little more.

Then quietly in my spirit these verses came to the fore front.

Matthew 18:2-4

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

I have a two four -year old nephews. That is such a fun age! Their fathers are my brothers. My nephews love their father. If you ask them some questions about my brothers, they would not know much. For example, they have no idea what kind of work my brothers do. They don’t know my brother’s income. They have no idea their work title. They also don’t know how many friends my brother’s have or what people think of my brother’s. All my nephew’s know is that they are happy when Dad is home. They are happy to see Dad and be with him. There world is centered a lot on home and those that are closes to them. They can’t image a work office that my brother’s go to or errands that have to be run. They just want to spend time with their Dad and that is done mostly at home.

My friend doesn’t have a lot of knowledge about who God is. She can’t quote scripture in Hebrew, Spanish or English. She doesn’t know all that God has done or all of the prophecies of the future. She can’t even tell you all the old testament or new testament books. You know what she does know. She wants to be with God her Father. And you know where you find your Father. You find Him in His home.

Sometimes I can get caught up in services and about what I can learn, what I can teach others. It can become about what can I gain and, how it makes me feel. It can even be about who I see and, who I talk to and, what people think of me.

This day though, I started thinking a little different. Maybe I need to just focus on being with my Father. Maybe I need to go to His house and enjoy being in His presence. Maybe being like a little child means we just know that we like when Dad is with us.

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Jennifer Van Allen

www.theprodigalpig.com

www.faithincounseling.org