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Fathers and Forgiveness

March 7, 2026

Rembrandt’s Return of the Prodigal Son, Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg

Micah 7:14-15 | Luke 15:11-32| Psalm 103:1-12

Micah asks the question “Who is a God like you?” Our God is compassionate and forgiving no matter how serious the sin or disobedience. He will forgive the sins, and they will be as far away as the bottom of the sea. We do have a part to play: we need to recognize the sin, confess, and repent. God will wait!

Luke tells the story of the person we call “the prodigal son” the son who spent his entire inheritance on self-gratification. As he ponders his situation, he realizes that his father’s servants are day newer off than he now is. With the wisdom that often comes from hard times, the son returns home, confesses to his father with humility, and asks his father to take him back and treat him like one of his servants. His father does more than that! His father forgives him and restores the relationship. That’s what our Heavenly Father does for us. He restores our relationship as if we had never sinned!

Psalm 103 speaks about God’s attributes. We read of pardon, constant love, tender affection, compassion, and grace toward all who love Him. He is the Father who calls and forgives us time after time. I wonder if the writer who composed the hymn “How Great Thor Art” might have been inspired by reading Psalm 103.

Judy Stenberg