Joel Osteen Devotional 2nd April 2024: Running, Not Walking

“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”

The father in this parable represents our Heavenly Father and His heart of compassion toward us when we’ve sinned and gotten off course. Notice in today’s Scripture that when the prodigal returned to his father, the father came running to hug him. The only place in the Bible where it pictures God running is to this young man who’s dirty with hog manure and mud. God could have come running to heal the lepers, to teach in the synagogue, to the religious leaders, but instead He came running to someone who had made mistakes.

The enemy has worked overtime to convince us that God is not for us. What would happen if we believed that God will always gladly welcome us? How much better would we live? How much freer, more secure, more at peace would we be if we were confident that God is for us, that even when we make mistakes, He’s waiting with arms held open wide, ready to restore us and get us back on track? Don’t let the wrong image of God keep you from coming to Him.

“Father, thank You that You are the God who runs to meet me even when I’ve made mistakes and gotten off course. Thank You that Your arms are always held wide open and Your love always restores me. I declare that I am going to walk in peace and be confident that You are for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

About Joel Osteen
Raised in Houston, Texas, with a loving family of seven and world-renowned parents in full-time ministry, Joel Osteen never imagined that he would follow so closely in his father’s footsteps. As a young man, his training and interests were behind the scenes in television production, though he was close to his father in ministry.