The Eyes of Mercy

“I do not know that the prodigal saw his father, but his father saw him. The eyes of mercy are quicker than the eyes of repentance. Even the eyes of our faith is dim compared with the eye of God’s love. He sees a sinner long before a sinner sees Him.”
C.H. Spurgeon (Sermon based upon the Prodigal Son)

When you do something like waste your parent's entire life savings and end up eating slop for dinner, you wonder if you're beyond forgiveness.

What did you do that turned your stomach into a ball of knots? What sin keeps your head down and your eyes focused on the ground? Or maybe it's the kind of sin you've confessed and repented of a hundred times and you wonder, isn't God getting tired of me? When does His patience run out? How many times will He forgive me for this repetitive pattern of sin?

We feel unworthy of forgiveness and so we stay put, eyes down. But when we imagine just a glimmer of God's care, and turn our faces towards home, something amazing happens.

We think God is far off, busy taking care of the world, unaware of our inner dilemas, but we make the first steps toward Him, hoping He will at least have the tiniest amount of mercy upon us. But, His eyes are trained on the horizon and He sees that small movement we've made; He notices us inching towards Him though we are far, far away from His embrace.

If only we had eyes to see His face at that moment. Our own eyes are still seeking out only the next step in front of us, on the dirty path, but He is gazing with love and tenderness upon our brokeness.

Yes, He is watching us from above, but not to catch us in the next little sin. He's watching for that moment when we turn ever so slightly towards Him. He's waiting for us to see His eyes of mercy.