"I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles" (Isaiah 42:6).

Jehovah promises to direct His Servant in such a way that He shall have Him as His protector and keeper and shall know His presence in all things. “I will keep You,” Jehovah promises. “And I will hold Your hand” (hold it fast), He says.

There must have been many wearisome days when Jesus of Nazareth, the Servant of Jehovah, thought of that verse. Did He recite: “He will not fail nor be discouraged, "Till He has established justice in the earth” (v.4), as He wrestled with ornery disciples, rebuked pious Pharisees, or dealt with the rank unbelief of the people? When the process was slow and the days were long, Jesus Christ experienced the immediate assistance of God. And so may we!

We too are His servants. If we have been born from above, we are dressed in His Spirit. We too must bring a right answer to a wrong world, and we too can know He will hold our hand and give us His immediate assistance in the face of frustration and persecution.

If Christ is not discouraged, knowing His kingdom has come in the hearts of men and will one day come universally, then we need not be discouraged either. God gave Jesus a “covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles” (v.6). The word covenant means “promise.” God promised us light in place of darkness (see v.6). He promised prisoners would be free (see v. 7). The death of discouragement and true spiritual freedom begin here and now for Jehovah’s servants!