In The Quiver

In my last post, “The Bow and Arrow", I shared an illustration of how we are arrows and God is the archer.  Today, I want to take this a step further.  Archers have a bow, an arrow, and sometimes carry a quiver. There are different types of quivers but essentially, it is a bag specifically created to hold arrows.  The arrows are kept there for safekeeping and easy access. The quiver is usually draped across the archer’s body. To paint the picture for you, I shared a thirty-second video of an archer with a quiver below.

The quiver represents the place where we reside until God pulls us out for a specific purpose.  There is a Scripture that beautifully illustrates the relationship between the arrow and 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 NIV

Can I share something with you? Prior to creating Audacious Arrows, I never even knew this Scripture existed! I literally googled “arrow references in the Bible” and was met with this truth. One thing so apparent to me was that the quiver represents a place of safety. The arrows (you and I) are “concealed” or “hidden” there.  Throughout the Bible, we find numerous instances where God is described as a place of protection. This one, in particular, came to mind:

 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91: 1-2 NIV

As I continued to ponder the life of an archer’s arrow, my next question was, “Are arrows generally used multiple times?”  After doing some research, I discovered they are.  Once the arrow is retrieved, the archer sharpens it in preparation to be used again.  Modern day archers use arrows that have a light on the tip which makes them easy to retrieve. Pretty interesting!

With all this, I saw a pattern begin to emerge. We are in the quiver.  In God’s perfect time, we are shot out to accomplish a particular assignment He has for us. Once completed, we are sharpened and placed back in the quiver until the next mission. While this is a simplistic example, I believe it reveals ultimately that living a life submitted to God is a journey, not a destination.

Dear Heavenly Father,

 Thank you that you have created us to be arrows in Your hands.  Thank you for protecting us and keeping us in Your quiver.  Teach us what it truly means to know You as our hiding place.  Teach us how to dwell in Your shelter.  Thank you for being a refuge and a fortress for us. 

You are our God, in whom we trust.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen