Power and Purpose
Within a day of reading my new devotional, Streams in the Desert, a verse stood out to me and I was very intrigued by the fact that what stood out to me wasn’t a long passage or story, but a simple sentence. “He has made me into a polished arrow. He has concealed me in His quiver.” The verse comes out of Isaiah 49, a messianic prophecy that tells of the character of the coming Messiah. Jesus is a polished arrow, concealed in God’s quiver…but what does that really mean and why did it stick out to me so much? The complexities of verses like these send me searching for a Jesus I never lost but am always trying to find.
I first looked up the words polished and concealed in Hebrew. The word, polished is barar in Hebrew and means clarify, cleanse, and purge…in other words, polished means pure. The word, concealed is chaba and means hidden and held. When I read “hidden” and “held” together, it gives a sense of security and comfort.
I can already see how Isaiah 49:2 connects to Jesus. He was pure, polished, perfect in every way while having a life marked with difficulties that made Him shine all the more. He was tempted, hated, and betrayed, but even then, He never lost His power, His purpose, or His target to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10) He was also hidden and concealed under God’s mighty Hand. Our Savior was born under an edict of death and spent the early part of his life living in Egypt, in hiding. (Matthew 2:13) Not to mention, his ministry here on earth didn’t start until some 30 years later. There is a “hidden” season of Jesus’ life we know nothing about, but even in the moments where He was “concealed in God’s quiver,” He never lost His Power, His Purpose, or His target to seek and save the lost. We can live by the same truths.
You are protected. You have power. You have purpose. And Praise God, you have a target.
It seems silly that something with as much force and power as an arrow would have to be concealed, but there is a time for everything. (Ecclesiastes 3) Just because you’re in a hidden season doesn’t mean you are powerless or purposeless and it certainly doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have plans to launch you forward. Much like an arrow, sometimes God’s plans look like going backwards before propelling forwards. But even before that, there is meaning in being held in His quiver and I believe a lot of it has to do with God’s protection and preparation.
What does hiddenness even mean? It can look differently for different people. Maybe you feel unseen or undervalued in your workplace. Maybe you have dreams that go beyond where you are right now but you can’t catch a break. Maybe you feel like your voice for something you care about has been silenced and no one is listening to you. Maybe you’re tired of watching other people succeed while you keep failing. Maybe it seems like everyone is getting what they want except you. It can be easy to be discouraged when you feel like you’re not getting ahead, which is why it is imperative that you realize that even in seasons of hiddenness, you have not lost your power (2 Corinthians 12:9) or your purpose (1 Peter 2:9, Ephesians 2:10). At the proper time, after some refining and polishing, you will be launched forward into whatever is next in this journey called life. We go from glory to glory and eternity is our finish line. (Hebrews 12:2) Our aim is set for Heaven. We are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) and as we do our best to live like Christ everyday, we should find ourselves with a similar target as He…to love God more than anything and to love others extravagantly. The important thing to note is that whether we are in the quiver or in the air, our power and purpose remain the same in Christ.