The Archer And His Arrows

In my last post, I stated what a warrior was NOT.  So, you might say, “Then what is a true warrior?” A warrior is a man after God’s own heart, and he has God’s heart. His heart is set after The Great Creator. And he wants to know HIM, intimately: His mind, His emotions, and yes, His very own heart. This true warrior yields his life to God, so he will do the things God does, think the things He thinks and feel the things God feels.

So let’s look at who God says was after His heart. Yep, David!  Though there are many in scripture seeking God, this specific phrase was used only of David. David was a man pursuing God’s deepest heart. Like an arrow that was set, David’s heart, affections, and mind were aimed at the Father. Consequently the Father could shoot that arrow wherever He wanted it to go. This is a man after God’s own heart.

Well, our God still desires men to pursue His heart. God’s need is to have a full quiver of arrows to impact His world. But if our hearts are set on anything but Him, we can never be a straight arrow. Even seeking to serve Him can make us miss the mark. It is HIM who must be sought, not things about Him.

A true warrior’s created purpose is to be a straight arrow in the quiver of the Lord. So often we haven’t set our hearts and affections on God, so we continually misfire. Though we may hit an object, we miss the mark. Often warped or self-hurled arrows will strike and bring death or destruction. Heartache and suffering follow the misguided arrow.

My chosen purpose is to be a straight arrow. The problem is that I can’t be a straight arrow. I can’t make myself straight and I can’t form myself straight. I can’t will myself straight. I can’t even fake myself straight. I am the branch in the forest that the Archer finds, shaves and hews. It must be severed from its natural life with a blow of the Archer’s sword. The roots that fed the branch and gave it life must no longer anchor it. The Archer’s pleasure will cause this lifeless wood to soar. The life must be exchanged from the earth’s sustenance through a tree, to the Archer’s life imparted through His skillful handiwork and deliberate thought. This deadened branch is given new life in the mind of the Archer. It must be formed and cut down to absolute accuracy. Then His life will come into that arrow and hit the target every time.

A true warrior is fashioned and formed, hewn and made straight, a dead piece of wood, aimed and directed by his Archer. This is the only way to be successful.

God chooses His branches, and it’s His forming that makes them straight. He aims at the target, and it’s His strength pulling back the bow, His shot hitting the mark. It’s all Him.

John 15:5
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.
Those who remain in me, and I in them,
will produce much fruit.
For apart from me you can do nothing.”