Coming Back to the Bible After a Long Absence

Have you ever been away from God’s Word for so long that the thought of coming back feels impossible?

Maybe you imagine Him waiting with crossed arms, expecting you to show up with a plan, an apology, and a perfectly polished quiet-time routine. Like the prodigal son in Luke 15, you rehearse a speech in your mind: “I’ll do better next time. I’ll make it up to You. Just let me back in, even as one of Your hired hands.”

But here’s the surprise:

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:21–24, ESV)

The son never even got his full speech out. He planned to beg for a servant’s place, but the father would have none of it. He welcomed him home as a son and threw a party just to celebrate his return.

Why We Struggle to Believe This

We read this story, we might even tear up at it, but then we quietly say to ourselves, “That’s beautiful…for someone else.” Surely we are the exception. Surely God is tired of us wandering off, disappointed at our inconsistency, rolling His eyes at yet another attempt.

But friend, your doubts don’t change His love. You don’t have to believe it for it to be true. The robe is still ready. The ring is still waiting. The feast is still being prepared — for you.

Moving Past Denial

So how do you step into this reality instead of disqualifying yourself from it?

1. Name the lie. Say it out loud: “I think God couldn’t possibly welcome me back.” Then answer it with truth: “But His Word says He does.”

2. Remember the Father runs. In verse 20, before the son could even arrive, the father ran to meet him. That’s your God. He moves toward you.

3. Live like a daughter, not a servant. Don’t crawl back into Bible study with your head down, waiting to be punished. Open the Word like someone already loved, already welcomed, already home.

The Invitation

Don’t let the lie of being “the exception” keep you outside the celebration. God is not waiting for your perfect plan, your tidy explanation, or your flawless record. He is waiting with open arms.

I know this story isn’t just about “someone else” — it’s about me.

There was a season when I had been gone so long. I had wasted my time chasing things that were not honoring to God. And when I finally thought about coming back, I felt like the exception. Surely He wouldn’t welcome me. Surely His Word couldn’t still be for me.

But here’s the miracle: His Word was just as accessible, alive, and healing for me as it had ever been. It pierced me, divided me, exposed my sin — healed my hurts...and then it put me back together whole. The Father had been waiting for me all along with open arms.

If He welcomed me like that, He will welcome you too.

If you’ve been away from God’s Word, hear this clearly: you are not the exception. You don’t have to earn your way back or prove your devotion. The Father has already run to meet you in Christ. He isn’t offering you the place of a servant — He is welcoming you as His beloved child. The robe is waiting, the feast is prepared, and His Word is open. All that’s left is for you to come home.

So open your Bible today. Let His embrace come first. And if you don’t know where to start, that’s exactly why Abidible exists — to guide you step by step back into His Word. You can begin with our free demo study and discover for yourself that the welcome is real.