Isaiah 49:1-7
As you seek to serve and please God in your life, have you ever felt like, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all”? These words from Isaiah 49 resonated with me when I came across them again last week. There are different views about exactly who the servant is who spoke those words, but regardless, the word of the LORD here reminds us of several great truths that can encourage and benefit any of us who serve Him. I’ll list three major truths here, but contact me if you want me to send you a list of all nine of them.
One, we are not the first to feel like we aren’t making any headway in our ministry. God’s servant states this directly in the passage (Isaiah 49:4a). Sometimes our work goes great! Other times good results are present but are difficult to see amidst the many difficulties and failures. Then there are times when, if we are making a positive impact, we are not aware of it. The passage suggests that it is okay to state what we are thinking and feeling about the effect of our ministry, although we should also remember that we don’t see everything. Regardless, it’s helpful to hear that God’s servants have been feeling they aren’t accomplishing much for over two thousand years. We are not abnormal.
“I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing at all”
Two, God will repay us for our work regardless. If we have indeed “labored” and “spent our strength” for him, then he will reward us (49:4b), and this is not dependent on success. We must remember to focus more on God than on results. As we think about God rewarding us, we should also remember he works in many other ways too, including equipping us for our service (v. 2), being our strength (v. 5b), and giving results through us in his own good time (v. 7). Verse 7 is a bit enigmatic and you may want to spend more time with it, but since the “you” in that verse is singular, I think the words are still being addressed to the servant and so to all of us who serve him.
Three, we must always remember that we are called not only to bring God’s own people back to him but also to ensure that salvation reaches those who don’t yet know him (Isaiah 49:5-6). God is merciful and helpful to us, but he does not coddle us. Even while we may feel like we aren’t making any headway on bringing his people back to him, he tells us that such a ministry is “too small”! (v. 6). We must also reach out to those who don’t know him, even throughout the whole world. This will include reaching out to them directly but the work we do to restore God’s people can also be a part of it, if we help and equip them, too, for God’s wider work with the lost. Isaiah 49 indicates God’s servant would both restore God’s people and bring light to the rest of the world. Many think the servant here is the Messiah. The New Testament refers back to this passage to indicate that Christ did indeed fill both roles (Luke 2:30-32) through his ministry and his final commission, but it also applies Isaiah 49 to the dual work of human servants (Acts 13:46-47). We are to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
God is merciful and helpful to us, but he does not coddle us.
If we envision this passage as our “annual review” with God and are entering it feeling like we are not making any difference, he will affirm that many of his servants have felt that way over the centuries and that he will reward our effort regardless of our “success.” But he won’t throw a pity party for us. Instead, he reminds us that we still have much work to do both with his people and those who are not yet his people. Yet he will strengthen us for all this work.
May this “meeting” with God affirm us, strengthen us, and challenge us to continue to serve him.
Empowering Subjects 