Psalm 127:4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth.
Polishing an arrow means removing flaws, improving balance, and finishing it so it performs at its best. It means sanding the imperfections. Polishing is not to make it look shiny but to straighten and align to improve performance. An unpolished arrow is wobbly and slow and misses the target.
Joseph was like an unpolished arrow when he was in his father’s house. He was his father’s favorite and received preferential treatment that spoilt the kid. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him (Genesis 37:4). He spoke without prudence. Even after knowing that sharing his first dream did not go well with the brothers, he shared the second dream with them. And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said (Genesis 37:8). Joseph was called and anointed yet lacked both discernment and prudence. His polishing started in the pit, and was refined and completed in the prison before He could accomplish his God-given purpose.
God is not the author of the tempests in our life, yet through the test and trial He refines us and polishes us into powerful arrows for His purpose. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). He uses the storms to smoothen our reactions and reciprocations. He uses the betrayals to develop patience and forgiveness and the temptations to take ‘shortcuts to success’ to strengthen purity and integrity. Unless an arrow goes through the workshop of refining, fine-tuning and smoothing it cannot become a weapon in the hands of a warrior.
Polished for Purpose:
- Patience: “Waiting” is the workshop that develops patience. Patience is not biting our teeth to get through, but praising and enjoying the journey while waiting for the breakthrough.
- Prudence: Prudence is the ability to exercise good judgement, wisdom and discretion.
- Purity: Purity when no one is watching is the process of being polished into a powerful instrument.
“Pain and persecution are processes of being polished for God’s purpose”.
Prayer: Sovereign Saviour, help me to see your hand in the process of polishing and refining. Amen.
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