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

Why would the Lord liken one to a polished arrow? When I see these kinds of things often in the word… such as the phrase “Like an eagle,” I know there is something I need to study out to find a hidden treasure from the heart of Christ. He purposefully places every word in His Word and we must diligently dig into it to understand fully His heart meaning behind it. Otherwise, we miss a great lesson from Heaven.

POLISHED: to purify, select, polish, choose, purge, cleanse or make bright, test or prove

If you study the ways of an archer, before modern-day equipment, you will find several steps to making a polished arrow.

First, the archer chooses a stick. Please notice the stick doesn’t choose the archer. This lines right up with the Word of God which tells us He chooses us, we do not choose Him. This should make you feel adored and loved. HE CHOSE YOU.

Next, the archer must chisel with a sharp knife or blade layer after layer of bark from it. This is called STRIPPING. That likely strikes a deep chord in your own heart. Might there have been a stripping season assigned to your life whereby it seemed all went wrong and nothing remained?

Can I encourage you…you were on your way to becoming a polished arrow in His quiver.

If the stick isn’t straight it cannot hit the intended mark. Therefore, the archer places it over a hot fire and bends it in the opposite direction until it is straight enough to fly accurately.

What a crushing that often takes place O’ mighty arrow of God. Little did you know the master archer held you perfectly in His own hand.

After the stick has been straightened, the archer pours oil on it to polish it. Remember the story of the Good Samaritan who poured oil onto the wounds of the man left on the side of the road? (Luke 10:34) Perhaps your own heart has felt the Lord pouring out healing oil to your wounds and pain after a sharp season? So it is with the archer and his arrow. The anointing of God must be applied in order for an arrow to do the bidding of the heavenly archer.

A final process for any archer’s arrow to fly is by adding the arrowHEAD and the fletching (or feathers.)

Listen, dear friend. Christ must be the head at all times. We are merely the body. He gives assignments in the secret place and it is His will we are to accomplish. If we stray from this we little arrows miss His mark every time. Be very sure your loyalty is to Him alone, He is Adonai-THE MASTER.

The feathers provide balance and stability to the arrow for flight. In other words, you must be balanced in spirit and in truth. Remove one of these elements and we will miss the mark of Christ at any moment. Truth without the spirit will murder many. The truth with the spirit transforms lives in a way only the Holy Spirit can. Remaining in this secret weapon place of war assures us that “Under His feathers, we will find refuge…” (Psalm 91:4)

Finally, what does it mean to be hidden in His quiver?

When you look deeper into the meaning of these words we find we are to be a “SENT” people with specific assignments for specific people at an appointed time. The arrow doesn’t choose the targets, the archer does. Pray through every request making sure it is coming from the Lord. The arrow never jumps out of the quiver to shoot itself. The archer pulls out the arrow when the mark is ready. Christ is the Master Archer-He pulls the right arrow at the right time.

Let me leave you with this final passage for you to put in your pocket.

Isaiah 40:41 Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they will mount up on wings like eagles…

You are safe in the hand of the Master Archer.