"In The Quiver"

"In The Quiver"



"He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver."  (Isaiah 49:2)

Hidden in a quiver is described by Gills' Exposition as "in His secret purposes."  To all those who have lived for the Lord Jesus Christ a long time:  Are you in the quiver?  Have your dreams been shelved for decades?  Has what you thought would be your productive time in the Lord landed you in a desert?  Do you feel forgotten, shoved aside, unappreciated, alone, and somewhat unloved?  You're Not Alone!  You may be "hidden away in God's secret purposes," and He can reach back at any moment and pull the arrow  ...  You will be "shot" to your destination in an instant; it only takes a quick move of the Master's hand  ...

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph; he refused, and she grabbed and tore off his coat as Joseph was running out.  She then lied saying Joseph tried to seduce her.  Joseph was thrown into prison, but he was innocent of all charges.  

Have you ever felt someone "wronged" you and you're paying the unjustified consequences?  That's where Joseph was  ...  Is that where you are?  In prison for something you didn't do?  In the desert, alone and forgotten?  In a divorce you didn't want or ask for?  In a bankruptcy or foreclosure, yet you've worked hard all of your life?  Are you seemingly sitting in a dungeon watching the goings on in the palace?  Are you just simply waiting on God for the things you've dreamed you would do in God since you were young?  God knows where YOU are!  Allow Him to use You where you are.  Joseph continued to pray and receive from God so that he was able to give interpretations of the dreams of the baker and the cupbearer, who were thrown into prison with Joseph. 

Where YOU are could be a mighty place of "witnessing" for the Lord.  Let God's "secret purpose" flow out of your innermost being to everyone around you  ...  the desert can be like David's pasture  ...  a solitary place of bringing forth the greatest song ever sung, the most profound book ever written (other than the Bible), the moonlight longings of a poet, the play or drama that converts and astounds the world, the sermon that brings His Spirit poured out on all flesh  ...  The solitary place, the lonely dark place shines the light on the deep  ... the deep calleth unto the deep  ...  yield to the "quiver;" it is actually the greatest of your lifetime in God.  

David In The Pasture

While you're out there alone, you'll have some lions and wolves that will come after those little lambs of "secret purposes," but your increased time to pray and fast will make you stronger to fight off the demons that seek to destroy you and your ordained "purpose."  Remember, you're in a "secret" place, and the enemy does not want you to emerge from the "quiver" and reach your designated place of power.  We must be alert in the pasture, in the desert, in that place of high vulnerability, because even though aloneness is good for the development of the soul; it's a dangerous place since there's always strength in numbers, and you're alone.  But, God knows where you are, and He will provide!  

"Sun and moon stood still in the

heavens at the glint of your flying

arrows, at the lightning of your

flashing spear."

(Habakkuk 3:11)

Arrows and spears are part of God's armory.  Barnes' Notes says it beautifully regarding Jesus' disciples: "They were enlightened and began, by preaching, to send forth shining words of truth.  But those words are Thine arrows, shining arrows, showing by their light the way of life, and by their sharp point pricking the hearts of people unto repentance."

Time alone with God hones the ears of our spirit, sharpens the points of our existence in Him, and deepens the valley of groans to reach the infinity of the mind of Christ  ... if we let it  ...

"Send forth lightning and scatter {the

enemies}; shoot your arrows and rout them."

(Psalm 144:6)

When God pulls you from the quiver, aims, and sends you out into the world, you will go forth as a flame in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,  Why?  Because you've endured the heat; you've conquered the desert; you've learned the lessons of solitude; you've overcome the setbacks; the trials have not defeated you; you have become a "flaming secret hidden by the Lord for a time" to go forth at the appointed moment to proclaim His Glory!

Don't despise the time in the desert, the trial of your faith, the burdens on the wheel, the time by the brook, or the pit of solitude  ...  YOU will fly again, no longer to be hidden away in secret, never again "In The Quiver;" with lightning speed, God will send You forth at the appointed time!

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)