I took you from the ends of the earth,
    from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
    I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:9-10

Being a slave of anyone doesn’t sound good but what if you are the chosen servant of the king of the world? That is the premise of the prophesy Isaiah speaks to the people of Israel; they are a family selected to be the servant who can say “God is on my side”. That’s a different situation entirely.

We as Christians have a similar role but better: Paul in Romans says that we were once slaves to sin, then indebted to God, ought to have been his slaves but instead were adopted and now claim heirship in God’s own household. We are no longer slaves of God but obedient, grateful children, adopted out of so so many in the world (Romans 6-8).

So we would be grateful to even be just a servant in God’s house but instead we get to praise him in our place as his children.

Ethan Kirl