But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Gal. 4:4–7 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, though the immediate circumstances surrounding your birthing experience were less than ideal, everything happened just as you, our Father, and the Holy Spirit planned it. “Doing all things well” defines the character of our God and the entirety of his story. At “the fullness of time,” you came—not a day early, or a second late. As humbling as it was to be born under the ceiling of a stable, being born under the weight of the law was a gazillion times greater burden. Yet that’s exactly why you came into the world. To fulfill the demands of the Law for us, and exhaust its judgment against us. Hallelujah! You are our substitute to trust long before you are our model to follow.
Because you lived and died in our place—as this passage celebrates, we’re no longer beleaguered slaves, but beloved children of Abba Father. We are perfectly forgiven and robed in your righteousness, sealed with the Spirit and given a new family, prayed for every moment and heirs of the new earth.
And one Day—one blessed Day, we will see you as you are, and we will be made like you. No abacus, group of accountants, or room full of computers can possibly calculate the riches of grace that we’ve been given in you. Forgive us when our whining trumps our worship—when our grumbling is louder than our gratitude. Keep rescuing us from our unbelief, small-heartedness, and gospel amnesia.