Prepared in secret !

Sunday July 11, 2021

Prepared in secret !

“He covered me with the shadow of His hand... He hid me in His quiver.” Isaiah 49. 2

Those whom God calls to a particular service often need to go through a period of preparation out of sight. Isaiah had been chosen by God even before his birth : “The Lord called me from my mother's womb, he mentioned my name from before I was born” (v. 1), yet he then explains, in language pictured : “He made my mouth like a sharp sword, covered me with the shadow of His hand. He made me a sharp arrow, he hid me in His quiver” (v. 2). It was in the shadow of His hand, in the depths of His quiver, that he became the prophet with the “sharp” voice capable of communicating divine exhortations to the people. The biblical figures who have mattered most in the service of God have often gone through years of training, anonymity and sometimes suffering before they were hardened enough to stand firm no matter what. David did not become king after defeating Goliath. Moses did not become the leader of the Hebrew people after killing the Egyptian while defending those of his race. John the Baptist, just like later the future apostle Paul, was trained in the solitude of the desert. Jesus Himself was prepared by His Father for over 30 years in the darkness of the region of Nazareth before beginning his earthly ministry. In God's school, the formative years are sometimes more important than the years of ministry ! Consider the order given by God to the prophet Elijah : “Depart from here eastward and hide by the stream of Kerith, which is opposite the Jordan” (1 Kings 17.3). Did God need him to hide for his protection ? Couldn't God have kept it in King Ahab's own palace ? No ! God wanted to close a door on him in order to train him and prepare him for a greater mission. Have you ever considered that God best prepares us when we are hidden, either in the darkness of His closed hand or in the depths of His quiver ?

Source (His Word for Today)