Father God,

Today, I thank You that Christ understands our despair, our despondency that we experience like in Isaiah 49:4 in which the Servant says “I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.” So many times, we feel as though we have spent our every drop of effort and yet we feel empty handed for all our efforts. Christ knew the pain and expressed that in “My God, Why have your forsaken me?” as well as in these words in Isaiah.

Enable us to follow those words of Isaiah 49:4’s first half with the second half of 49:4 in which the Servant trusts the Lord’s will to provide recompense. May we always find our hope and its fulfillment in the power and promises of our loving Father. May we find peace for our souls in knowing that our Savior truly and fully understands the pains of our heart in our darkest hours.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.