In Isaiah 48 we read about how God knew His children would rebel from the time they were born. He could know that because He knew them. He knew them from before they were born. Paul speaks the same as we read here in Isaiah 49, talking about being called from the womb. God was there at the birth of His children and named them.

God was there to keep them and help them and fight for them and comfort them in His compassion.

God assures His people that if they wait on Him to be all that for them, to do all that for them, that they won’t be put to shame. They aren’t going to regret it! He’s not going to forget to come through. They are engraved on the palms of His hands so that His people are always before Him.

God’s people receive honor from God. They were created to serve Him, and by serving Him, God is glorified. We are honored as we honor and glorify God, and we do that by being a servant.

God will call us to service, but He will also prepare us for service. Here is verse two of Isaiah 49. “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.”

He puts his word in our mouths if He calls us to teach. He can hide us from all harm, but in saying that, His goal isn’t our comfort and ease. He is making us useful for service so we can love others as we’ve been loved. To be a polished arrow takes stripping away, a straightening and smoothing out. A little like bringing down the mountains and raising the valleys and making crooked paths straight and rough places smooth, which is what God does when He prepares for His coming. He will come for you, to take you up as an arrow in His hand when we’re prepared, polished for His use.