GOD’S SUSTENANCE OF A SERVANT LEADER
To conclude the introductory series on servant leadership from Isaiah 42, we now look at the sustenance that a servant leader receives from God.
1. He calls you
“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness;—” (v6)
A minister for God recognizes the One who owns the Universe and holds all things together as his employer. All activity that constitutes ministry originates from and is directed unto God. There is no greater privilege than to work for the Lord and do his bidding. No job can be more honorable than becoming a servant leader for God. This does not necessarily only include full-time ministry where the relationship is obvious, but also secular jobs wherein Christians need to see God’s calling and learn to work for him and honor him with what they do.
2. He holds you
“—–I will take hold of your hand—–” (v6)
A servant leader finds God taking hold of his hand and guiding him along the journey. It is anything but an easy journey. A servant leader needs to understand that when direction is lacking, God’s light will lead, showing him the way. When He calls you to do His work, he will also sustain your needs. And so the servant minister learns to depend not on people around him, the church or the organization that he works for to take care of his needs but on God. And no man who has learnt to fully depend on Him will ever remain with his needs unmet. The God who calls you is faithful.
3. He keeps you
“—–I will keep you—–” (v6)
The Lord promises His protection for those who work for Him. A servant leader not only faces physical challenges but also spiritual forces that come against him. We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces in high places. This is because a servant leader pushes himself headlong into a spiritual battle on God’s behalf. Consequently, he will necessarily go through persecution and suffering, but the promise of God to keep him and preserve him remains true till the very end.
4. He makes you
“—–will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles” (v6)
Many who are in leadership positions for God get lost in statistics, goals and expectations that they find hard to fulfill. Yet ministry should not be a struggle if you are in the will of God. It might not necessarily mean you will fulfill the man-made expectations, but God does promise that He will make you to be a light shining in the darkness for the people around you. He will fulfill his plans through you and you can rest assured in the fact that when it is time for the curtains to close, all that God has envisioned of your life would have come to pass, if you faithfully stick to his will.
