What worries you the most at the minute? That might be tricky because there is so much to worry about. There is so much going on that even the little things can feel heavier than usual. I managed to crack my windscreen this week, and I found myself thinking, “Not another thing I have to try and deal with,” at the minute, the little things seem to feel like huge things: cold weather, expensive heat, road work and traffic Jams. A hard time of year typically feels so much more complicated at the minute. If we are honest with ourselves and one another, things are pretty bad at the minute, and we feel like they are worsening. Never mind when we turn on the news; what feels bad in our lives seems worse globally: wars, wildfires, collapsing governments, a growing sense of isolation and self-preservation. Life is complicated, and the world seems to be getting darker; even gone are the days when politicians used to talk about better days to come and hope. Minute, all they seem to talk about is how things used to be!

Things are complex, and every day, they seem to be getting worse; new governments are elected, and nothing changes and our hope disappears as we begin to accept the reality that we live in: “What will be, will be, and there is nothing we can do to change it.” It is hard to know what to do with such feelings of worry and hopelessness. Especially as Christians when we know that we are meant to be a people of hope because our hope is not from this world.

We read through the bible and find lots to help us process grief, worry, and issues of faith – but questions about the state of the world we live in seem a little bit too much. How can a book written thousands of years ago in a world that was so different relate to what we feel, think, or worry about now? Yet, passages like the one we read this morning remind us that although the world has changed, nothing about the pressures we face every day is different. Think about the context of Isaiah 42, for what you see is a picture of the world we live in today and a reminder of why we can always have hope.

A hopeless Situation

The Lord had heard the cries of a small people group that he had made his own. They had been oppressed by the cruel hand of Egypt for too long. The Lord sent Moses to lead his people from oppression through the wilderness into the Promised Land, where he would establish them as a nation under Him. The Lord was patient with them through the era of the Judges and was gracious to them when they demanded a king like the nations around them instead of Being like Him. The Lord established them as a nation under the line of David after the failure of Saul and told them that as long as they were faithful to the Lord in Worship and living for him, he would Establish and keep them. They saw their borders expand, their capital city grow, a temple be built to the Glory of God, and the nations of the world come to them in awe of the wisdom of their Kings. They went from being enslaved to being a nation feared and established to one that drifted from the Lord who had saved them, split between two Kings and then slowly overcome by the lust of the world, the powers around them and not their call to be faithful. Israel and Judah split, and both ignored God, yet both assumed that Yahweh would continue to watch over them and keep them safe; that was until Babylon stood at the borders.

Israel was the first to fall, as she was overrun and overpowered without much effort by the most powerful empire in the world. Her people were walked from the Promised Land back through the wilderness into captivity, and then Judah would soon follow. The city was under siege, the walls torn down, their streets overrun, and the temple laid to waste. All that had been building over generations seemed to be lost in a moment, as the people of Judah were laid away from their city and homelands in chains and under conquest; they would have looked back, thinking they would never again see their homes or set foot in their lands. The people of God had been under bondage, seen deliverance from God, established a covenant with him under their kings, and now they faced exile. For Centuries, the people of God had stayed from their covenant with Yahweh and ignored the Prophets who called them back in repentance. Thus, in the 6th Century BC, they faced the unthinkable – Ultimate defeat at the hands of the Babalyons, who would walk them into exile. It is to the pain of Exile that today we hear and consider Isaiah speak today.

A pain that brought about those famous words: “By the rivers of Babylon there we sat down, and where we wept when we remembered Zion.” (Psalm 137:1). Memories of Zion were so emotional because they were memories of a better day and memories that the people thought they would never experience again such was the totality of the victory over them: they where wiped out Politically, socially, economically, and spirituality and now they sat as captured citizens of Babylon in a land that was not theirs alongside many other people and nations longing for the days that where. In the midst of this hopeless situation, God speaks through Isaiah, presenting His servant as the answer to despair—a bringer of justice, light, and hope.

Different Era’s Same Feelings

What is the pain of Exile? A feeling of abandonment and loss – mourning not just the loss of loved ones in battle but of your home, nation, and way of life. Everything that you once knew is no longer, and all that will be in the days to come is nothing of your own culture and ways. The pain of exile is the longing for the days that were and a lack of hope about the days to come, where you exist to survive. You live not as free, but under the weight of worry about your status and position in a land, you do not know and under a people you have never known.

The Pain of exile is that feeling that things are only going to get worse, without any hope that they may ever get better, the worry about simply surviving, and then the added worry about those who face the situation with us. The pain of exile is the pain of living in a broken world and a world that feels like it’s continuing to break. The pain of exile is today’s pain, which we hear God speak Hope into. The pain we all express when we wonder where God is in the situations we face and the things we worry about. When we wonder where God is? If God is good or has the power to affect the world that we see decaying – these questions are asked in longing. The weight of our worry about the state of the world and our place in it, our future, our identity, and our worth These are the same worries that the people of God faced in Babylon, to which Isaiah spoke the Power of Yahweh and sure hope.

The pain of exile mirrors our experiences of loss and worry in a broken world. But God speaks into that pain. Isaiah 42:1-9 reminds us of who He is and what He has done, presenting His servant as the hope of the nations, the one who brings justice, healing, and light. As we reflect on these verses, let’s discover the beauty of the Lord and the hope He offers us in our darkest moments.

1. The Servant of the Lord: Hope amid Exile (Isaiah 42:1-4)

1.1 Behold the Servant (v. 1)

Isaiah begins to speak hope into a hopeless situation, the hopelessness of exile and notices the form that hope takes. The Lord’s prophets declare that God will act to rescue his people and bring hope to the whole world. Yet, hope takes a form, not one that we would presume Hope to come home through. Isaiah does not speak of a mighty act of God to come like a flood or plague, nor does he point to the hope of a new Military conquest or king. Instead of the contrast of a broken world, hope is presented and upheld in the form of the servant! The Servant who will be upheld and beloved by God:

”Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight”:

To the hopelessness of exile and the brokenness of their situation, to the lament of their worship that by the rivers of Babylon, they remember Zion, the Lord speaks of a hope that will come in his chosen servant, whom he loves and delights in. Those in exile looked for a servant to come; we who live today look in Joy and sure hope to the servant who did come, and his name was Jesus. As Isaiah begins to speak the Hope of God’s servant into the pain of exile and brokenness of the world, we know and must be clear that it is Jesus. Jesus fulfils this Prophecy as affirmed at his Baptism in Matthew 3:17. It is all about Jesus. The hope we speak of today is not new, but the hope that has always been – our hope that comes from trusting God through Christ and knowing that Jesus is not just our Hope but the work in the world that God said he would do. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the servant God loved and strengthened, as the ultimate source of hope because he has already shown that he will never let us down. He is the one on whom God put his Spirit and empowered him to live the life he could not live, to be obedient to the death he did not deserve So that we could not the fullness and realisation of the hope that Isaiah is speaking of in this passage today.

The same Spirit that empowered Christ’s ministry and raised him from the dead descended upon the Church at Pentecost to empower us to know that Hope and then to live out the way of Christ and make know that Hope is in the brokenness of our world. The Spirit of God enters our lives and helps us to experience fully the wonder of the Hope that we have in Christ and then to realise that this hope is so good and powerful that we can’t just keep it for ourselves as we are moved outwards into the world as ambassadors of hope in our worship and witness of God through Christ and by the Spirit.

1.2 The Mission of the Servant (vv. 2-4)

The servant in whom we hope, we can have hope because he comes with the purpose of heaven in mind – redemption. The hope that Isaiah speaks into the pain of exile was the same hope that the people of God were always to hold, that one would come from the line of David. Before, he had been prophesied as a King, and now we see the language of a servant – but the point is simple, there is always hope. Yes, their situation may have drastically changed from peace in the promised Land to the pain of exile and abandonment, but they will learn that their God has not changed. The Hope we have as Children of God is always hope that transcends our circumstances. because God is always at work, and our circumstances do not affect his work.

He comes with power and purpose, yet we see beautifully that it will look nothing like the ways of the world: “He will not shout or cry out…” Where the leaders of our world are marked by the norms of the world: strength, power, and green. This is not so with the one in whom we hope because Isaiah points out that the servant of God will be marked by humility and quiet authority in contrast to the ways of the world. He will be gentle, and by his gentleness, he will disarm the world’s powers. Isaiah is foretelling how the King of God’s Kingdom will look and how the citizens of it will live in the world in a way that looks nothing like the world, even to the world that seems like weakness. Yet, by our hope, we know that God’s power is made perfect in our humility and weakness. How do we understand the hope of Christ in our city? By living out the way of Christ every day – gentleness, humility and loving service.

The way of the servant does not mean weakness; gentleness is not timidity, nor is humility a lack of conviction. The servant’s way is simply the heart of God that stands in contrast to the world. A heart that is marked not just humility but compassion – “A bruised reed he will not break…” Such is the compassionate heart of God that he will show kindness to the weak. There is no more excellent biblical picture of vulnerability and weakness than in the Old Testament. Think about the steam of a flower, how vulnerable it is to the world around it, and how brittle its strength is. Now, imagine that steam being blown about in the wild, twisted one way and another. That is the image of a bruised reed we are being given here. We might see it and think it’s done, so break it off, such as a servant’s heart and compassion, so that when he sees it, he will not choose to break it because he has come to restore that which is broken. The world may batter us, bruise us and make us fragile – but Christ has come to restore us and make us whole in him.

More extraordinary still, we can trust him, depend on him, and look to him in every circumstance because “he will not grow weak or be discouraged.” This means the servant the Lord will send will never stray from his redemptive purpose; he will not relent until “he has established justice on earth.” Our Hope is confident because he is sure about what he came to do. We can have hope today because of our confidence about tomorrow – the Unshakeable reign of Christ has begun, and we know it will never end.

2. The God Behind the Servant: Sovereign and Faithful (Isaiah 42:5-7)

How do we know that someone will stick to their word, or to put it another way, that we can trust them? Because, in time, their action will prove their intent. If we agree to meet someone somewhere, and they don’t show up, we will forgive them when they explain. Yet, if it happened repeatedly, that person would become someone we would never trust. Why? Because they never did what they said they would do.

In contrast to the person who is on time when you meet them and would drop anything to respond to a situation where you are in need, that person we know is a true friend. How do we know that we can trust someone? By their actions and the heart behind it.

Isaiah speaks hope into the hopelessness of exile, and we might wonder how we can trust this hope, or we might question how the people of God could trust hope coming from a God who let them end up in exile. The answer is as if we were dealing with human relationships – we can judge God by his actions. He told his people that if they chose the ways of the world, they would be left to the world, and equally, he told them that he would always be with them and had a plan of redemption for the whole world. Yahweh is a God of his world, and Isaiah reminds the people in the hopelessness of exile about just how transcendent their Hope is.

2.1 The Creator Who Sustains (v. 5)

The God who sends Isaiah to speak Hope into exile and lament is the God “who created the heavens and stretched them out,” he is the God who created the earth that comes from it and gives breath to all the people on it. In other words, God’s sovereignty assures us of his ability to fulfil his promises and take him at his word. The God who brought the universe into existence and sustains it by his power proves the beauty of his trust by the wonder of his actions in the Cosmos. Yes, things might be difficult today, but look up, see the wonder of Creation, and remember the God who created it. Then remember that the God who can create wonder in our world is the same God who speaks hope about the world’s brokenness. God’s goodness is always known as his power in the chaos of our broken world and sin.

The same God who spoke the world into existence in Genesis was the God who was with Joseph in the pit, David in the Caves, Jesus on the Cross and with his Children today. We are the bruised reed to which God will not break; instead, he is working to restore. The God who knows the number of hairs on our heads and loves us as Children has called to the city the God who can heal all of this city’s struggles and divisions by the wonder of his Grace and our hope in Christ. Only Jesus can restore what is broken and heal our city and its societal divisions and hurt.

2.2 The Covenant Mission of the Servant (vv. 6-7)

Do you hear what the Lord says through Isaiah, what the Lord declares in his Power “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness.” It is a moment that should make us go – WOW! This servant is not just an agent of change from God, but one who will be rooted in the unchanging covenant faithfulness and know the unchanging covenant faithfulness as he shows compassion to the bruised and breaths new life into numbering flames. The servant of God will bring the life of God in the power of the Spirit by his words and deeds. Acts that will establish justice and acts that we know to be Kingdom acts – those things which, in the power of the Spirit, we model and live from the life of Christ.

From the beginning, God has been faithful to His promises, and through the servant, He continues His work of restoring what is broken. God is not far from his Children in his creation; he is like a father who cares for his Children. The Lord who has called, and the Father who holds our hand as he leads us and appoints us to the work of his covenant. This mission is not accidental or reactive—it is intentional, righteous, and constant in its application of the heart of God and the way of Christ in the world. Our call is Christ’s, rooted in the very essence of God’s being.

For us, the fulfilment of this mission is found in Jesus, who not only restores individuals but brings redemption to the entire world. Then, in the power of the Spirit that God gave to empower the call of the Servant, those who have looked to the Servant are empowered and equipped to do his work of Justice. No matter who they are, no matter where they have come from, no matter our skills or lack of them. If we love the Lord and trust Him with our eternity, God will use us for His glory. To make know the Hope of the servant we have come to know.

The Lord further explains the servant’s mission and the mission of all, as the work of Justice he spoke of earlier in this passage is given incarnation examples: “To open eyes that are blind, free captives from prison, and release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Acts that capture the heart of God and the servant’s purpose—liberation/freedom. These acts of mercy bring freedom, but they are not simply about the physical or now – there is a deeper meaning – true freedom. They are hints of the true freedom that the servant would bring; that by his dying, he would destroy our death, and in his rising, we would restore our life. By the Cross, God will open spiritual eyes, break chains that bind hearts, and release all who turn to him from the darkness of sin and despair.

We may live 2000 years from the time of Christ, but the effects of sin are as devastating today as ever, and as God sent the servant into the world to act to bring Glory to his name, so the servant sends us into our contexts to the same end. Christ has established His Kingdom to advance and make known His hope, as we, as citizens of His Kingdom, are called to model His heart and his way: gentleness (not shouting), humility and acts of Mercy and Justice, not simple to make the world a better place for a moment, but to point to Jesus and bring Glory to God’s name. The Holy Spirit moves us to engage with these broken places in the hope that is ours. We get His light and freedom into them. As His church, we are called to embody this mission and step into the darkness with His hope and truth. This is the servant’s mission—and through His Spirit, it is our mission.

3. The Glory of the Lord: A New Hope for the Nations (Isaiah 42:8-9)

As our passage begins to close, the focus shifts from the servant’s mission to the God who sends him. The point is simple: our ultimate hope is in Jesus, not human effort, fleeting powers, political systems, or kings! No, our hope is in Jesus, the unchanging glory of the Lord. God’s faithfulness and commitment to His name ensure His promises will never fail. In a world filled with false hopes and competing idols, Isaiah calls us to lift our eyes to the one true God whose glory secures the certainty of our hope.

3.1 God’s Glory and Faithfulness (v. 8)

“I am the Lord; that is my name!” Words of truth, and words we could spend weeks thinking through and wrestling with. All that needs to be said by God is this: These words remind us of who God is—utterly unique, utterly faithful, utterly dependable, and utterly powerful. He is alone, and there is none like him – so all Glory, praise and majesty belong to him. God is all good, and from him, all the good comes. Unlike the idols that humans turn to, he will never let us down.

Today, we are no different as we look to create things in our culture to satisfy and sustain us —money, possessions, positions or relationships. God’s glory is unchanging, and His promises are as specific as His name. He will not share His glory with another because there is no other like Him. This is why we can trust Him completely: His mission will not fail, not because of us, but because His glory is at stake. When life feels uncertain and we’re tempted to look elsewhere for hope, these words call us back to God, who never changes and always keeps His word.

3.2 The New Things God Declares (v. 9)

Is there anything more beautiful than hope? I mean real hope, that moment when something becomes tangible, even though it’s still not realised. Is there anything more powerful or motivating than the thought of something good to come, something beautiful to happen – especially when it is inevitable? The problem with living in a world broken by sin is that brokenness becomes the norm, and we assume that what is will always be. The people of God have been exiled, gotten used to exile, and think this is how it will always be. When things begin to decline, we believe it can only worsen and will always be the way. But will it? No, because God has always been working out his plan of redemption, something that the world has never seen before nor will again.

See the beauty of our Hope because of the wonder of our God who declares:”See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare.. What does it mean? Well, God is not just going to do something through this servant. Instead, he will do something that has never been done before, something that only he can do. Something beautiful, something powerful, something that should give us hope. I hope that should change how we see today and live in light of tomorrow. More wonderfully still, to the people in exile, he shows them how sovereign it is as he tells them he is announcing it before it occurs. God is doing something new through his servant, which is our redemption.

This new thing God declares is not just a vague idea or distant dream; it is a statement of something specific to come —a bold, tangible promise that should fill us with awe at his power and delight in the certainty of our hope. God is not simply mending what is broken or bringing us back to what once was; He is creating something entirely new, something that only He can do. It is a promise of vast and beautiful redemption that changes everything—our past failures, our present struggles, and our future destiny. This hope does not just whisper comfort into our hearts; it changes how we see today, endure in the face of hardship, and live in light of what is to come. It is not just a hope for individuals but for families, communities, and our city—a promise that reaches into the broken places around us and declares that suffering and decline will not have the final word. And most wonderfully of all, this new thing God is doing through His servant points us forward to the day when Christ will return, and all things will be made new. So, let us lift our eyes to the beauty of this hope, fix our hearts on the certainty of God’s promises, and carry this hope into a world that is desperate to see and hear it.

Conclusion: Finding Hope in the Servant

This passage reveals one truth with many profound implications—Jesus is the hope of humanity. Isaiah 42:1-9 reveals this through the imagery and prophecy of the Servant as the hope of the nations, the bringer of justice and restoration who will establish again the covenant of God. It is a covenant that will not be a return to what was but something new that the Lord declares before it has happened.

This passage invites us to see Jesus, the Servant, as the hope we desperately need—personally, in our community, and for all eternity. Personally, it calls us to bring our worries, fears, and burdens to Him, trusting in the gentleness of the One who will never break a bruised reed or extinguish a dimly burning wick. He meets us in our fragility with power that restores and renews. As a community, we are called to embody His mission—to be people of justice, compassion, and light in a world with many signs of brokenness. In our context, marked by division and need, we are reminded that the way of the Servant is a way of humility, service, and sacrificial love. And eternally, we are pointed forward to the certainty of God’s ultimate plan: that through His Servant, all things will one day be made new, and justice and peace will reign forever. Today, let us lift our eyes to the Servant’s hope, live in light of His promises, and carry the beauty of His hope into the world.