Jeremiah 50:13-15
For battle at close range, we have the Sword of the Spirit. But what do we use when trouble looms on the horizon? Our strategy for warfare must adapt with the distance of our enemy, taking range into account. When armies draw up their lines they do so just out of reach of the enemy's weapons. Range is an issue which affects all military arts. This concept is easily understood by picturing two boxers. If one of the fighter's arms is four inches longer than the other, it makes it very hard for his opponent to safely throw a punch. The boxer with the longer arms can stay out of the way of his opponent's swing while still being able to hit his mark. Gaining the benefit of range is highly beneficial for one, yet difficult for the adversary to overcome. Perhaps the greatest weapon of ancient warfare was the bow and the arrow. Many historic battles were won against all odds, through archery. Although attacking from a distance gives one great advantage, maintaining that advantage requires speed and accuracy.
Speed is achieved by acting quickly in order to hit your opponent before they hit you. If the other side manages to formulate a strategy before you can take action, you have given away the advantage of range. Accuracy is developed with traning and practice. Ancient warriors were able to shoot an average of 10 arrows per minute. The more they used their weapon under pressure of warfare, the greater the speed and the greater skill they developed. Archers also had mobility on their side. Since the bow and arrow are lightweight and easily stowed on their backs, they could move undercover easily on the battlefield.
The Egyptians were known to use chariots to carry armies of archers into battle. If the target were close in range then the archer would aim a little above the horizon. They were taught never to aim directly at the target, as the trajectory of the arrow would fall with gravity over distance. At long range, archers would aim into the sky above their heads at an angle toward the enemy target. If speed and accuracy were aligned, the trajectory would prove right on target.
--> Psalms 25:11-13
Prayer is our most accurate and speedy weapon against the enemy. It is also our most strategic way of providing impact without engaging the enemy at close range. Just as a skillful archer can accurately determine angle, we must focus our prayer in the direction of God's will.
In the movie, "The Patriot", Mel Gibson was reminding his sons of their training target and he said, "Aim small, miss small." His point was: don't aim at the enemy as a whole, but instead aim at the button on his jacket. That way if you miss the button, you still hit the enemy in the chest. This tactic applies so perfectly to our focus on prayer. Because prayer is primarily a private practice, there is not much attention made of skill level. But there is a right and a wrong way to pray. The only thing the disciples asked Jesus to do was to teach them to pray. And Jesus answered by laying out a pattern of prayer. An important part of this pattern was the model to pray our answers and not our problems. Most prayers look more like grocery lists for God than a Holy Spirit led conversation! Although our prayers should be focused, they need to be focused on the right things.
There are two main categories of prayer:
1. Our personal purpose
2. God's corporate purpose
Jesus stated the solution to all of our problems when He said, "Thy Kingdom come, they will be done." Since God's will is always perfect, praying His will over a situation will bring your solution. Although we don't always know the root of our problems we do know the sources of our answers. Prayer bring unity of force between Heaven and Earth. It is our pathway to God and also the method He uses to form us into His image.
With the focused aim of an archer's arrow, let's pursue the target of focused prayer.
Bow: As a bow is drawn back, it stores up enormous energy. When the arrow is aligned and released, the energy held in the tight bow transfers to the arrow instantaneously. Prayer is much like this coordinated effort of elements. Part of the process takes strength and another takes skill in the retraction and execution of the exercise. The bow represents our obedience. We must prove our submission through the flexibility of bending to God's will.
Archer: The archer must possess enough strength to pull back the string of the bow. Although it seems contrary to go back in order to go forward, a retraction of action is required to dispense energy for propelling. When we bend our will toward God's we create an enormous storage of energy. By pulling back from our own desires and yielding to the obedience of the Spirit, we strengthen ourselves as mighty warriors.
Arrow: The arrow represents the will of God. We learn the will of God by reading His Word and applying it to prayer. We should test the will of God by writing out our prayer of petition using scriptures. If our prayer is aligned with scriptures and kingdom priorities then it will create a straight arrow for God to use.
Our formula for focused prayer shold combine these 3 elements:
1. Bind the enemy by ackowledging and uncovering his schemes
2. Deal with our flesh through repentance
3. Loose God by applying His Word to our circumstances.
Praying the way Jesus taught us bring corporate correction and deliverance and as a result we are set free personally as well.
Aiming our prayer is not an "each woman for herself" approach. It is a corporate strategy of unity and victory. Arrows aren't as effective or all that easy to use at a close range. So we cannot wait until the enemy is upon us to pray the will of God. Although praying for a miracle is sometimes a matter of life and death, we should not rely daily on reactive measures of prayer. If only amassed ranks of archers would aim their arrows up high and let heaven guide their destination; then the enemies camp will be destroyed.
We have got to keep our quivers full and ready at all times so that we will not be reactive to situations but will act in Godly ways and with steady and stealth fingers so that we will bring restoration to HIS Kingdom and not destruction.
Adjust That Crown!
Jonna
This morning I woke up to the very loud and piercing sound of my smoke detectors alerting me to a power outage. It is November but it still feels like summer around here so after 30 seconds of no air conditioning I got out of bed. The dogs started whining and I let them out. I proceeded to the bathroom and flipped the switch...no electric. I went to the kitchen and put my cup under my keurig...no electric. I will be honest other than laughing at myself...it frustrated me. I can't live like this!
