Like Arrows in the head of a Warrior

Psalm 127:4 (NKJV) - Like arrows are in the hand of a warrior, so are children of one’s youth. 5Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

The verse above was written by the psalmist, King David.  King David made use of a proverb, which was rare for him to do as a means to convey truths. What is a proverb? A proverb is a comparison of one thing to another used to teach a truth about something. In verse 4 king David compares arrows in the hand of a warrior to children of one’s youth. With our modern mindset, a simple comparison such as this one will leave the minds of most as quickly as it entered it because most of us have no dealings with arrows nowadays. Therefore, most of us are disconnected from the imagery it invokes. However, this proverb is packed full of practical applications for future parents, parents, grandparents, God-parents, and guardians. What are some of the lessons we can learn from king David’s proverb?

 The first thing to consider is that arrows in the ancient world of King David’s time were not perfectly straight like the manufactured ones we see today. Neither are our kids, the reason being is that they came from us, fellow sinners (Ps. 51:5). The warrior would spend hours preparing his arrows to take flight. He would meticulously spend hours with each arrow removing the bark, drying them, removing the crooked spots, sanding, and balancing the arrows so they could fly with as little wind resistance as possible. How much time do we spend with our kids in preparation for releasing them in the flight of life? It’s not mentioned here but it is understood, every arrow needs a bow. A bow possesses dynamic tension that is stored up within it for use whenever it is needed. We as parents or guardians are obviously the bows. An arrow needs dynamic tension to launch it into flight. The warrior must be able to adjust the tension of his bow according to the weight of his arrows, in other words, every arrow is different. Every child is different, we must nurture each one according to their personality, character, will, and God’s unique purpose for them. What dynamic energy are you bound with? Worry is a type of dynamic energy, but it is the wrong kind of energy (Ph. 4:6, 7; 1 Pe. 5:7). Being overbearing is a type of dynamic energy too, but it is also the wrong kind of dynamic energy (Eph. 6:4). Do we have too much dynamic energy or do we have enough? Lastly, the warrior must know where the target he intends to launch his arrows to is located, he must be near the target in order to hit it.

As Christians, Jesus is the ultimate target were launching our children towards, the question for us is, how close to the target are we. Righteousness is also a daily target we strive to launch our children toward, how close to it are we ourselves? While we play a vital role in our children’s lives in terms of a relationship with the Lord, we can’t make them have one with Him. We can only launch them toward a relationship with Him. While we can’t make our children have a relationship with the Lord, we can however, certainly give them an excuse for not wanting one. I came across a quote in Steven Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People many years ago that struck a chord in me. It says, “I can’t hear what you’re saying, because what you are speaks so loud.” In other words, does the contradiction of my walk drown out everything I’m saying?” Are our words extinguished by our actions before our words can germinate in the lives of our children?

As we can see, like a warrior on the battlefield, parenting is not for weaklings. Just as a warrior takes his bow and arrow in hand, with his target in sight and launches it with strength, determination, and intension, we must do the same in our approach to parenting.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are the perfect Father. Thank you for the unconditional, strong, determined, intentional, and manifest love and assurance that you give us daily. I pray that you would give us the wisdom, courage, grace, patience, understanding, and strength it takes to launch the blessed arrows that you have placed in our care toward a life that glorifies you. I pray that our children can see us just as we are, flawed vessels who love them more than we love ourselves. Above all, let them know that you love them a billion times billions more then we love them, so much so that you died for them. I pray that our love for them will be a model on earth of your eternal love for them. In Jesus name, amen.
(by Bro. Casey Lingham)