“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” (Isaiah 50:10, ESV)
Isaiah presents us a portrait of the Suffering Servant, the Messiah. As a true disciple of the Lord this servant obeys the Father no matter what the cost to Him, no matter what suffering and shame He has to endure. He is totally committed to the task which the Lord has set for Him. The servant is the perfect disciple, one worthy of emulation. We know this servant to be the Lord Jesus who in perfect obedience carried out the will of the Father by dying for our sins.
The world we live in is filled with troubles and woes. We dwell in this world, surrounded by Satan’s disciples, people who are eager to oppress and persecute those who are disciples of the Lord. We face many trials and many times our way is filled with shame and despair. The good disciple, like the suffering servant, sets him or herself up like flint, like steel to endure what one must and not desert the way of the Lord. If we were to set ourselves up based on our own strength, we would fall apart as many people in the world do. Yet when we look at obstacles in the light of the Lord’s all sufficient grace and strength which He supplies to us, we can endure. Often we think we have no right to receive such grace as we certainly have not earned it. But that is just the point: we have no right to it, because it is a free gift. So let’s make use of the Spirit that the Lord has given us and rely on the Lord.