‘Yet you, Lord, are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.’ [Isaiah 64:8]
As a classroom teacher, I found it amazing to look across a class of 30 primary school students and see such diversity – individual personalities, intellectual abilities, creative skills etc. I knew every child had been uniquely designed by a loving Heavenly Father who packed them full of potential to fulfil different, yet equally divine purposes in their lifetime.
I loved seeing every student have their moment to shine amongst their peers as they brought their strength and ability into the mix. But what was difficult for me was to see students struggle in areas and start adopting negative, limiting language like, ‘I’m stupid’; ‘I’m not as good as….’; ‘I give up’. I would do my best to encourage them and try to give them positive perspectives, but ultimately we each choose what we believe about ourselves.
Recently, I heard a teaching about Jesus from the Servant Songs of Isaiah, and this sentence struck me: ‘I am like a sharp arrow in his quiver.’ [Isaiah 49:2b]
Jesus knew who He was – ‘a sharp arrow’. Other translations say, ‘he made me a polished arrow’ [ESV]. There’s a sense that Jesus knew who the Father made Him to be and the purpose He had given Him. An arrow is made to be a weapon that is released at a target with accuracy, in order to give a fatal blow. Death was the target and Jesus was the arrow!
This verse also shows us that Jesus knew whose He was – ‘in His [YAHWEH] quiver’. Jesus did not belong to Himself, but was in total submission to the Father and at His disposal. He knew that the Archer had formed Him, with a purpose, to be released according to the Archer’s wisdom and timing. As an arrow, Jesus was dependent upon the Archer’s accuracy and skill. It actually wasn’t His responsibility to ‘hit the target’ – He trusted the Father with that result.
Jesus’ confidence seen in this verse has really inspired me! Too often I have found myself to be more like the children in my classroom – doubting my abilities, wanting to give up and comparing myself to others. I’ve questioned who God has made me to be and, like we read in Isaiah 45:9-10, I’ve argued that God got it wrong with His design and purpose!
“What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’
Does the pot exclaim,
‘How clumsy can you be?’How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father,
‘Why was I born?’
or if it said to its mother,
‘Why did you make me this way?’”Isaiah 45:9-10
But as I’ve turned away from this unhelpful, ungodly thinking and walked further down the road of surrendering my life into God’s hands, I’ve found that a parallel path has emerged – one of greater confidence in who He made me to be and an excitement and passion to partner with Him in the purposes He holds for my life. I choose to declare, by faith, that ‘He has also made me a sharpened arrow, and hidden me in His quiver.’ I choose to posture myself as being willing and ready to be deployed by the Archer according to His Will.
The diversity of people reading this article will be similar to that classroom of students – each and every one of you uniquely designed and intentionally formed and ‘polished’ by the Father, with great love and patience, to fulfil His great purposes.
How confident are you in who the Potter has formed you to be?
Are you willing to allow the Archer to ‘polish’ you into His sharp weapon?
Are you ready and surrendered to be released like an arrow at His target?
I want to leave you with this encouragement – God is a Master Craftsman and an Archer who never misses. You can trust Him.
Mel is part of the team at Worship.Works. As Head of School, she develops our training programmes in order to support and equip believers as Work-Based Ministers. This article was originally published in our January newsletter. You can sign up to receive these monthly updates here.