1107. Take Bow and Arrows

Take Bow and Arrows

"And Elisha said unto him, Take bow and arrows: and he took unto him bow and arrows" (2Ki_13:15).

1. Fixing the eyes on. Jehovah. Elisha as he lay there upon his death bed, realized that the king of Israel was leaning too heavily upon him. He knew how, when he was gone, the king would miss him. In the command, "Take bow and arrows," the Proph-et sought to turn the king's heart and mind to God. He wanted to fix his eyes upon the Lord.

"Would you lose your load of sin?

Fix your eyes upon Jesus;

Would you know God's peace within?

Fix your eyes upon Jesus.

"Jesus Who on the Cross did die,

Jesus Who lives and reigns on high,

He alone can justify:

Fix your eyes upon Jesus."

Illustration: The story is told of a blind girl who, when her sight had been restored, cried with ecstasy as she beheld the beauties of the flowered field's; but, after she had taken it all in for a while, she turned to her loved ones and meekly said: "Now close my eyes, for when the world appears visible to my eyes, God appears less clearly to my soul."

How often it is that the good robs us of the best. The things which are seen, snatch from us the things unseen. We get our eyes upon the temporal and we lose the eternal. We get our eyes upon man and we forget God. Elisha realized this, and so he said, "Take bow and arrows."

2. The bow and arrows stand for prayer. Prayer is the act of fixing our eyes on Christ. The prayer of petition is always a confession of need. The reason men pray little is because they feel that they themselves are strong. Why look to God, if we can lean upon ourselves? Why pray to God if we can trust in man?

Perhaps if we would each one examine into our prayer life, we would be astonished at how little attention we give thereto. The average saint does not spend more than two or three minutes a day in honest prayer. There is a reason for this–we are leaning on the arm of flesh; we are trusting in ourselves.

Peter first displayed his self-confidence, in saying: "Though all shall be offended * * yet will not I." Soon afterward Peter forgot to pray.

3. Joash needed to "Let go, and let God." Paul Rader gives air interesting story of the genesis of these words:

"One young man came forward with the rest. He arose after a season of prayer, with no trace of light, saying, 'How can I let God?' He went to his room saying, 'I want to let God, but I can't.' In his room the next day he took his jack-knife and cut some letters out of paste-board, spelling out as he tacked them on the wall: 'LET GOD.' He struggled on through the day, the Spirit confronting him with many points where he was unwilling to yield. The next morning the battle was renewed, but he was near despair. He grabbed the towel and jerked it over his neck. He nearly broke his shaving mug as he grabbed it and his razor, and went to the bathroom. He slammed the door to his room with a bang as he passed out into the hall. 'I can't let God. How can I let God?' he repeated as he tried to shave. He dropped his razor and returned to the room, not conscious that he was only half shaven. His poor soul was crying out: 'How can I let God?'

"He stood with open mouth when he had shut himself in his room, for as he gazed at the letters on the wall he noticed a great change. The 'D' of 'GOD' had fallen off, and the sign said, 'LET GO.'

" 'I will, I will, Jesus!' he cried, as he threw himself to his knees at the side of the bed. 'I'll let go and let God,' and he did.

"Thus came into existence this little phrase which has helped so many lives."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR