Be Careful What You Wish For

I'm staring out into the night,
Trying to hide the pain.
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing.
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain.

These lyrics from the popular song by Chris Daugherty called "Home" tell the story of a heartbroken man who has gone out into the world to make his way, only to find that way filled with disappointment and loneliness. In the darkness of the night, he realizes that what he is longing for is what he has left behind. When his pain pierces him, he comes to the realization of the prodigal son. I want to go home.

Well I'm going home,
Back to the place where I belong,
And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from.
No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me.
But these places and these faces are getting old,
So I'm going home.
Well I'm going home.

I believe the song is popular, not just because it served as the "American Idol" farewell song for several seasons, but because this chorus expresses the heart of every human being. We long for that place where we feel home. The theme song to the sitcom "Cheers" used to say, "I wanna go where everybody knows my name." I want to be home, where I belong, where I am loved. Like the prodigal, we want to be in our Father's arms again. In one line he voices no regrets, but in the next he recognizes the futile and insignificant life of our own choosing. The world gets old, and when it does, we long for home.

The miles are getting longer, it seems,
The closer I get to you.
I've not always been the best man or friend for you.
But your love, it makes true.
And I don't know why.
You always seem to give me another try.

The second verse gets more to the heart of the matter. The closer we get to home, the more we realize how far away we have been. For the believer, like the prodigal, home is not so much a place as it is a relationship. As we return, we realize the distance between us and God. I have not always been what I needed to be. The distance is of our own making, our own life we chose for ourselves, our sin.
However, in the spiritual analogy, we arrive at the most powerful words in Scripture, "But God."
Your love makes true. God's love makes all things right. he works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Most important for us, He loved us enough to send His Son, who is the way, the truth and the life, that we might come home. Love always makes true, and I do not know why. Clearly there is nothing I have done to deserve another try. Grace, from a motivation of love, not based on merit. That is what the prodigal receives, and that is what God promises those who believe. So, in the heart of every believer is this song.

So I'm going home, Back to the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me. So I'm going home. I'm going home.

And as we enter into the gates of home, it becomes clear that all the world has offered is not worthy to be compared to the riches of knowing Christ. All of our worldly treasure has no value in a land where streets are paved with gold, the gates are made of pearl, and there is a sea of crystal. We spent a lifetime wishing for things that were not God's best for us, and we got them. But with them come things that we do not want or desire. With them come regret, and the weight of sin, the burden of things seen and done.

Be careful what you wish for, 'cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, And then some you don't want.
Be careful what you wish for, 'Cause you just might get it all.
You just might get it all, yeah.

Can you hear the voice of that prodigal son ringing in your ears? "Oh, well . . ." Or is it your own voice saying, "I'm going home"?

Oh, well I'm going home, Back to the place where I belong, And where your love has always been enough for me.
I'm not running from. No, I think you got me all wrong.
I don't regret this life I chose for me. But these places and these faces are getting old.
I said these places and these faces are getting old, So I'm going home. I'm going home.