Run to Jesus

Reflection

The image of running, rather than merely walking or waiting, towards Jesus captures something of the urgency scripture attaches to seeking God. The father in the parable of the prodigal son runs to meet his returning child while he is still far off (Luke 15:20), a striking picture given that running was considered undignified for a man of his position in that culture. It suggests that God's eagerness to welcome exceeds our hesitancy to approach. The instruction to run rather than drift also carries a sense of active pursuit rather than passive hope. Hebrews speaks of running the race set before us with perseverance, fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). This is not about frantic effort to earn favour, since the whole point of the prodigal's story is that welcome comes before worthiness. It is about the posture of someone who has decided that hesitation has cost enough, and that whatever brought them low, moving toward grace is always worth the urgency.

Questions to sit with

• What usually slows down your own movement toward God?
• Have you ever experienced an unexpectedly warm welcome after feeling unworthy of it?
• What would running toward God look like practically in your life this week?

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