When the Prodigal Returned

I was brought up in a safe, caring Christian home with my brother and sister—attending Sunday School and being involved in youth work. But just like in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15), one of us was about to turn our backs on it all.

At 23 years of age, my brother Tim stopped going to church, and his life spiralled—in every possible way imaginable.

Yet I never gave up hope. Even when his life was a complete mess. Being confident in God's faithfulness towards His children, I knew it would only be a matter of time before Jesus would bring my brother back to Himself, with great rejoicing. My certainty came from the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin, told alongside the parable of the Prodigal Son.

We have a Saviour who never stops seeking and saving the lost.

I saw Jesus reaching out to my brother through his job. As a coach driver, Tim regularly met Salvation Army holidaymakers. On day trips to Weymouth or Eastbourne, they often prayed together on the coach. Tim found this really helpful and uplifting, even though he was far from the Lord.

My brother later shared with me how dark and empty his life was prior to his return. One day he prayed and asked God to help him and get him back on the right path.

His first port of call was to attend a church, but he soon discovered how service styles had changed, leaving him feeling uncomfortable and awkward.

So I offered him a copy of the quarterly Our Daily Bread reading notes, which he gladly received, together with a Bible. Simple, encouraging and like the voice of a friend, these notes served as a lifeline in reconnecting him to his Saviour Jesus.

He was later welcomed into worship at the Salvation Army which is now his spiritual home.

After about three months, on a visit to his new flat with the next edition of Our Daily Bread, he showed me his “study table”. Upon it were his open study notes and sheets of A4 paper filled with handwritten Bible chapters and highlighted Bible passages.

My brother is now seventy, and his hunger for God’s word is truly amazing, finally fulfilling him after his many wilderness years.

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