Freedom — As a Son – Friday
TODAY’S VERSE
Galatians 4:31
So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman. (ESV)
About a month ago, I picked up The Long March Home, a historical fiction novel set in the Philippines during World War II (warning: this devo contains spoilers). The story tracks three young men from Alabama who enlist in the Army, and all seemed pretty tame until Pearl Harbor was bombed. Almost immediately, war is upon them, and quickly the Japanese overtake the US and Philippine troops. Now Prisoners of War, our three main characters endure an extremely long and painful season of slave camps, unpredictable guards, and fellow soldiers dying from illness, exposure, starvation, or upsetting the wrong person. There are several times when there seems to be a glimmer of hope, but then it is ripped away. Until finally, when it seems all is lost, one enemy guard stands up and announces, “The war is over. You have won.”
The main character is overcome with relief and joy, but at the same time, has some serious anxieties about going home. Specifically, anxiety about seeing his father. They had a strained relationship throughout childhood, and his enlisting in the Army was a direct act of rebellion against his dad. They hadn’t communicated in the four years since he left. He doubted his father even cared if he was still alive. Here’s how it plays out when he finally arrives back at his childhood home:
“Need a hand with that?” I hear myself say, my voice hoarse.
He gives me a slight wave. “All good, thank you,” he calls. He lifts the bin… and then goes still. Turning slowly, he looks directly at me for the first time, his expression stricken.
“Jimmy?” he rasps as though he ain’t sure what he’s seeing is real. The bin falls from his hands, clatters to the ground.
My father takes a step toward me and then breaks into a run, closing the distance between us in an instant. He grabs and pulls me into his arms with a broken cry.
“Jimmy! My Jimmy–my boy!”
I read this at 2:30am in bed because I simply couldn’t put the book down, and you better believe I was an absolute mess. If you’ve been tracking with my devos, you can tell the father-son motif will always get me in my feels.
Galatians 4 ends with an illustration where Paul is doing everything to remind us: We are no longer enslaved to the enemy. We are born of the free woman into freedom! We have a Father who will run to us the moment we turn back to Him from our old ways of slavery to sin.
Let me remind you, if you didn’t know already. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed!”
APPLICATION
Our key verse for the Freedom series is Galatians 5:1. Write or type it somewhere you will see often and work on memorizing it: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
PRAYER
Father God, thank You for loving me as Your child and running to me even when I’ve been a prodigal child. Thank you for sending your Son to set me free. Help me to stand firm and not submit again to a yoke of slavery.