Armed by God

When God leads you He arms you! The word for "led" here means "to string a bow". It is a word borrowed from archery. God has a bow. He is a Master Archer. He hits what he aims for. He cannot miss and He is stringing His bow concerning your life!

 

No He is not shooting at you. He is shooting with you!

And He has made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand has He hid me and made me a polished arrow; in His quiver has He kept me close and concealed me.  Isaiah 42:2AMP

You are an arrow in His hand. You are the bullets in God's gun. You are His ammo! Do you get the picture. God is not taking aim at you, He is aiming with you at targets of His choice. To get the full picture here you have to understand something about the bow and arrow. In Bible-times the bow and arrow was the most feared weapon. When the arrow was united with the bow in the hands of a capable archer it caused dread on the faces of the enemy. It was a weapon that was very effective at a long distance. Today you are the arrow and when your life is united with God's bow you are part of the most potent combination imaginable. You are the crown of God's creation. (Psalm 8) And in His hands you are able to accomplish amazing things together.

Polished Arrow

Before an arrow can be shot from a bow, it has to be prepared by the archer. The shaft must be polished, the tip sharpened, the feathers aligned. All rough surfaces must be eliminated to avoid unnecessary drag. Will you be the polished arrow of God? Will you allow Him to polish all the dull and rough areas of your life? Give Him access to prepare you for the trajectory He has planed for you. He has targets picked out for you. Bull's-eyes only you can hit when you are shot from His bow.

 

God's Quiver

According to this verse the Lord conceals us and places us in His quiver. The arrow was not made for the quiver. The quiver was made for the arrow. It is a place to carry and keep the arrows safely until they are needed. All the specifications of the arrow was to fit the bow and not to fit the quiver. The arrow in the quiver is no threat at all, but the same arrow in the stringed bow cannot be ignored. Too many Believers are sitting in the comfort of God's quiver with no desire to function according to the design of the arrow. They love the security of the gathering of arrows in one place. They enjoy to be surrounded by saints on Sunday. Their life revolves around being polished and shaped by God and then place on display in His quiver so all can see His handiwork. Friend make no mistake, the quiver is a very important place for the prepared arrow, but it is not the arrow's end-destiny. The arrows must be launched from God's bow. They must hit the designated targets. Only then will their true purpose be realized. The gathering of Christians in a church is wonderful, to be commended and not to be forsaken. But the church only serves as a holding tank for prepared arrows to remain within reach of the Archer. It is the place to remain at the ready to be launched onto the battlefield.

 

Missing the Mark = Sin

Another archery term used in scripture is the word "sin". It literally means to "miss the mark". When an archer takes aim at a target, shoot and misses he has sinned. Too many arrows want to determine the flight-plan of life. They want to do the work of God (the Archer). They want to choose the "good looking" and attractive targets in life. They set out to be successful but fail miserably. The sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) In fact all of us know what it is to fall short of the target. We have all sinned.

 

Only God can straighten us out again. Only He can eliminate sin from the arrow. Only He can bring us back in line with hitting the designated targets of life. "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)   

 

God's Targets For Your Life

Our verse is clear: I have led you in the paths of uprightness. Uprightness speaks of righteousness. To be in right standing with God. To be right and not wrong. To be in a place of no guilt, shame, sin, defeat, failure, brokenness, etc. A place where your life is wholly pleasing to God and completely fulfilling and successful. A place where every desire is satisfied, every need met. A place of ultimate destiny!

 

You are armed to be launched to that place! The trajectory has been set, the bow has been strung. Allow the Lord to place you, His polished arrow, into His bow and shoot you towards that goal, the prize of the high call of God in Christ Jesus! (Phil. 3:13 - 14)