Isaiah 49:5,6 - God has become my strength

49:5

Jeremiah 1:5 refers back to this verse, with God telling Jeremiah that He appointed him to be a prophet to the nations. So while this verse primarily speaks of Jesus, it can also be applied to Isaiah. God had prepared Isaiah to be a prophet. Psalm 139:13 speaks of God knitting us together in the womb. We were all created with a purpose. God sent prophets to bring Israel back to Him. He sent His Son to bring Israel back, and to bring the whole of humanity back to Him. So if we live up to this calling we are honoured in the eyes of the Lord, and He will be our strength. The world may mock or disdain us, but God will be our strength.

49:6

As mentioned before, the servant refers to Jesus, to Israel, and to individual prophets. This verse so clearly speaks primarily of Jesus. Yet it was also true of Isaiah. The words that God gave Isaiah to speak have rung around the world from generation to generation, and numerous people have been encouraged and challenged by them. If we want to be truly significant then we need to live for God, we need to let His life flow through us. But above all else, this speaks of Jesus. He was fully Jewish, but He is also Lord of All. He is a light to the Gentiles as well as to Israel. But we should also note that His task is both to bring back the tribes of Israel and to be a light to the Gentiles. God has not finished with Israel yet! God’s salvation will flow out to the whole world. We should be aware of the global reach of the gospel. The world will try to restrict us, but God’s plans know no limits, know no restrictions. The gospel is for everyone. Looking at this in personal terms, if we live a life dedicated to God then there are no limits on what God can do through our lives. We need to be God-centred and Christ-centred in our thinking.