Isaiah 49 offers us some insight into the prophet Isaiah. He was called from before birth to be God’s prophet, to guide Israel back to God. Even with this divine calling, Isaiah sometimes had self-doubt, yet still relied on God for strength in these times. “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the Lord, and my recompense with my God”.
Parts of this chapter also applies to Christ, and the salvation we have through him. The one who would “bring back the preserved of Israel” would also be “a light for the nations, that [God’s] salvation may reach to the end of the earth“.
There will come a time when “all flesh shall know that I am the Lord your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob”. Let us focus on being like Christ, a light to those around us, relying on God’s strength and looking forward to that future time of restoration.