Resting in God’s Recompense
Even when the ground looks barren, God holds the unseen growth, and our recompense is with Him.
Devotional Credit: His Victorious Indwelling compiled by Nick Harrison
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Today’s reading from Nick Harrison takes us to Isaiah 49:4-5, where the servant of the Lord cries out that his labor has seemed in vain, his strength spent without visible fruit. Yet his judgment and his work are with God. Watchman Nee reminds us that this verse holds a powerful truth: our justification and our recompense are not found in outcomes or people’s opinions but in God Himself. Even when our work appears fruitless, our standing with the Lord remains secure, and He Himself is our satisfaction.
Nee explains that we often tie our hearts too tightly to our work, our relationships, or even our sense of accomplishment. If those things falter, we feel devastated. But when our direct relationship is only with God, then rejection, failure, or loss do not shake us. Our justice is with Him, and our reward rests in His hands. This is a call to release our dependence on results or human approval and to anchor our hearts in the Lord alone.
The devotional presses us to live free from the tyranny of outcomes. If we connect our worth to our achievements, we will be disappointed when things do not unfold as expected. But if we remain connected to God, we can rejoice even in apparent defeat, knowing that our recompense is with Him. Matthew Henry adds a gentle caution: whatever we have in our hands must not be allowed to rule our hearts. Only Christ must occupy that place.
This devotion by Watchman Nee points us toward a life of restful trust. Even when our efforts look wasted in the world’s eyes, we are not empty. God Himself is our justice and our reward. The call is to stop measuring by visible fruit and instead abide in the certainty that nothing done unto the Lord is ever in vain.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
My child, I do not measure you by outcomes. Your work, your worth, and your recompense are with Me. When you feel as though your labor is wasted, remember that I see beyond what you see. I am your justice, and I am your reward. Rest in Me.
Do not attach your heart to the approval of people or the success of your efforts. Anchor your heart in My Son, for in Him you are justified, accepted, and complete. Nothing that is entrusted to Me is ever wasted. Even when you feel empty, My grace is at work, and My promises stand firm.
Rejoice, even in what looks like defeat, for nothing can separate you from My love. Your recompense is secure in Me. Trust that I will bring forth what glorifies My name in My time, and until then, walk in quiet rest.
Scripture References: Isaiah 49:4-5, 1 Corinthians 15:58, Galatians 6:9, Colossians 3:23-24, Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 6:10, Romans 8:28, Colossians 2:10, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4-11, 2 Corinthians 5:7.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of planting seeds in a garden. For weeks, the soil looks bare, as though nothing is happening. You may even feel tempted to think the planting was pointless. Yet under the surface, life is quietly at work, unseen but certain. In time, the shoots appear, but only after waiting and trusting the unseen process.
In the same way, when I labor and see little fruit, I can rest in the truth that God is working in ways I cannot see. Today, I can whisper, “Lord, I trust You to live Your life through me in this moment, knowing that the harvest belongs to You.”
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, I thank You that my work and my worth are with You. I rejoice that I do not need to measure my life by outcomes, for You are my recompense. I rest in the assurance that nothing entrusted to You is ever wasted. I thank You that my justice is with You, and I live today confident in Your faithful reward.