THE GOSPEL IN SONG — “BRING IT ON HOME TO ME”
Some hearts have wandered far—further than they ever meant to go. The path bent slowly, gently, then sharply, until one day they looked up and realized they were far from the Father’s house.
And now they wonder: Will Jesus take me back? Is there room for someone who walked away?
Oh yes—He receives all who come, even those who are coming home again. Nothing in your past stands as a barrier—not the failures, not the doubts, not even the wandering itself. What matters is that you turn your steps toward Him now. Just come back.
Sam Cooke understood the longing of a heart that wants someone to return. In 1962, at RCA Studios in Hollywood, he recorded “Bring It On Home to Me,” a song released that same year—a soulful plea wrapped in velvet tones, inviting a loved one to return no matter what had happened. One of my all-time favorite songs by one of my all-time favorite singers.
Cooke’s voice held both ache and welcome, a promise that the door would be open, the arms wide, the heart willing. It remains one of the great American soul songs because it speaks to something deep in all of us—the desire to be received again, to be loved beyond our mistakes.
And that is the very heart of Jesus toward every returning soul. If Sam Cooke could sing, “If you ever change your mind…bring it on home to me,” how much more does Christ say to the wandering, “If you change your mind, My child, come home. I have never stopped loving you.”
He is not tallying your failures; He is watching the road for your return (Luke 15:20). He does not remind you of how far you traveled; He rejoices that you have decided to come back. Grace does not scold—it embraces.
So come home now.
Come while your heart is stirring, while you feel the pull of mercy. Jesus welcomes the weary, the broken, the ashamed, and the returning.
He will not ask where you’ve been; He will rejoice that you are here.
The gates of grace are open, the Father’s house is bright, and the Savior’s voice still calls: “If you change your mind…bring it on home to Me.”
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your mercy that never gives up on me. Draw every wandering heart home, and let me rest in the certainty that Your love is greater than my past. Amen.
BDD
