I’ve always loved the image of being “formed” or “named” in the mother’s womb, so this servant song, a song of thanksgiving and commissioning, is one that speaks to my heart. This passage reminds me that God has a plan for our lives. God gave each one of us particular gifts and talents to use to further God’s kingdom on earth. God picked them out just for us because he knew us even before we were born; loved us before the world even knew our names. It would be easy for us to just meditate on that knowledge and love from God, but Isaiah lives in the real world. He knows it is not as easy as God gave us gifts, made a plan for our lives, and now we follow God’s plan like the recipes in a cook book. Instead Isaiah tells us,
“But I said, "I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God.’"
The servant has tried to follow God’s plan, but sometimes hard work, discipline, prayer and determination don’t seem to be getting him anywhere. Where is God’s plan then? Sounds like this song of “commissioning” is more like a song of “re-commissioning.” Because the truth is our call, our purpose, our gifts, get confused in the mixed messages of our society, our families, our inner voices, and a world filled with no’s. The servant recognizes God’s call; the challenge is to maintain his passion even when it feels he has “labored in vain.” This servant song recognizes the cycles and circles of life. We will sometimes feel very close to and connected with God’s call to us, and sometimes we will feel very far away. This song is not about discernment, it’s about renewal. It’s a song about the cycles of life, and it’s our song too.
(The Rev.Jill Williams)
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