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.” Isaiah 49:4
There is, as often is the case with the prophets, a historical backdrop for this verse which I believe enriches rather than contradicts what I have to say here. I’ll leave that history, for now, in the hands of scholars more capable than this lay writer.
Much of my life has been spent wrestling, and usually losing, with the notion that I have worked very hard and accomplished nothing. This self-doubt on steroids is quite painful for anyone, and I have found it prevalent in professions such as mine: teaching and writing. This is probably because teachers and writers rarely see the fruits of their labor. We may see a victory here and there, and perhaps one sees a spike in sales. But money doesn’t mean one is doing any good, and the devil is always there to tell us when something positive happens that even a broken clock can be right twice a day. Further, people think in terms of results that can be seen. Work X number of hours and earn (minus taxes) Y number of dollars.
But spiritual currency is not about what we have or earn in God’s eyes, but about what we are and what we are willing to be. We are unable to see God’s working in us and around us, so why would we expect to see what our efforts have produced, just because the world wants to put a price on labor?
In our day to day lives, we do not have vibrant revelations about the will of God. Yet, I believe that as we stay connected to Him through prayer and meditation on scripture, we work toward the Kingdom in ways we will never see. Yes, in vacuuming the carpet and getting groceries and bathing our children and doing our level best at any number of jobs, we are doing the work of the Kingdom. If we read about the lives of the saints before us, we see the highlights. We do not see the mundane, everyday tasks, which were also part of the Lord’s plan, and during which anyone can have been dragged away from God.
To a degree, every action we take or fail to take requires energy and effort. While we wait for our rewards, be they earthly or saved for Heaven, let us continue to do what we know is on God’s to-do list, sometimes chief of which is: get through the day. God’s promise and His rewards are priceless; otherwise, He would pay us with mere money.
Holy Spirit, strengthen us when we feel that everything we do is a waste of time. Help us to know when we have walked off the path and when we are going in the right direction should the road seems invisible. Remind us of the certainty of your love and promises. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.
