Are you going through an inner "famine" tonight? If you are, then perhaps your spiritual hunger has driven you to the things of the world to fill the void. The problem is that these worldly substitutes will never bring you any real satisfaction. Aren't you ready for something else?

As I was reading the story of the prodigal son today, one phrase stood out. It says the young man "journeyed to a far country," where he was consumed with wasteful living (Luke 15:13). However, when the famine hit and he was forced to eat the pig's food, he suddenly came to his senses. What was he doing there? He didn't have to stay. He had another country to go to...the "country" of his father's house which he was created to share. So he started home.

The thrilling part is that, like the prodigal son, you don't have to stay where you are either. God has a "better country" in which you can dwell now. The book of Hebrews says that all the heroes of faith "...admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own...they were longing for a better country - a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them" (Hebrews 11:13-14, 16, NIV).

Rejoice in the fact that no matter what "far country" you've been dwelling in or how low you've gone, God has a "better country" waiting for you now! Won't you start the journey home tonight?

Heavenly Father, thank you for this chance to humble myself before You and, like the prodigal son, repent of wallowing in the spiritual "pig sty" I've been in. No longer content to wallow in the things of this "far country," instead, I now yearn for the true fullness that is in You. Thank you for guiding me home. In Jesus' Name, Amen.