I heard a simple and yet powerful message from Ps Ron Johnson at the church's men's breakfast meeting a fortnight ago. It is about the process that God let us go through to become effective for His use. Ps Ron used the arrow making process as a most apt analogy.
The first step in making an arrow is to chop the piece of branch and to make it into a shaft. Then the process of polishing begin. The shaft must be made straight and smooth in order that the arrow will fly straight. Polishing can be a painful process as the splints are removed by the sandpaper process but once completed, the result is a smooth and straight shaft, ready to be turned into an arrow. This is akin to our sanctification process where God refines us for His use.
The next step is to fix the arrow head. This is the part of the arrow that makes the most impact when it hits the target. The arrow must have an arrow head. The Holy Spirit is the arrow head in us. He must be the person who makes the most impact when we hit the target. God equips us with the arrow head so that we can make a significant impact.
The arrow, however, cannot fly straight just with the arrow head. It needs the balancing feather at the end. The feather helps to balance and stabilise the arrow in flight. God's word is this feather. We must know God word well in order to be balanced in flight.
Once the arrow is completed, it will be kept in the quiver. The quiver may seem to be a dark place when the arrow is placed inside. We don't know when the archer will draw the arrow out and till that happens, the arrow remains in the dark. Don't we sometimes feel that we are like the arrow in the quiver? Ready but not yet launched to do His work.
And finally when the archer brings the arrow out and place it on his bow, ready to launch, the arrow is pulled back to load up the potential energy. So for us, there are times that we feel that as we are about to embark on something significant for God, we suddenly feel that we are drawn back instead of going forward. What we don't know is that when the arrow is pulled back, it is also pulled towards the cheek of the archer. So when God pulls us back before launching us, we are pulled close to Him.
And then the launch comes as the archer releases the arrow. At this point, the arrow will fly towards the target, straight and sure. When it hits the target, the arrow head will have significant impact on the target - bulls eye for the Lord!
So, let us allow God to polish us so that we can become the smooth and straight shaft. As He equips us with the Holy Spirit, let us daily indulge in His word so that we can have a balanced and straight flight. And when we are kept in the dark for a while, let us remember that we are waiting for His perfect time to use us. Let's trust Him completely. And finally, when we are put on the bow and drawn back, remember that we are drawn close to God before He launches us.
Praise the Lord for making us arrow of significance. I am lifted up from my current challenging situation after hearing this message. I hope that it will help you too.
God bless.
Steven
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