Strike the Arrows

A couple weeks ago, I was listening to a man of God talk about prayer and our approach to it. Why do our praying often feels empty and lack power? What will it take for us to engage in the battle with fervor and expectancy? 

As he spoke, my mind raced back to this Old Testament story of Elisha with the king of Israel. The Syrian army was coming against them and the king was fearful. Rightly so. He was outnumbered. So he thought. And he ran to the one man whose ministry was double the power as his predecessor.

Now when Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die, Joash king of Israel went down to him and wept before him, crying, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!"

And Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Draw the bow," and he drew it. And Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. And he said, "Open the window eastward," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot," and he shot. And he said, "The LORD's arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Syria! For you shall fight the Syrians in Aphek until you have made an end of them."

And he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground with them." And he struck three times and stopped. Then the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck down Syria until you had made an end of it, but now you will strike down Syria only three times," (2 Kings 13: 14 - 19 ESV).

Scripture tells us Elisha's health was declining. His strength was depleted. He would later die due to the affliction. Yet, he pulled himself together to tend to the needs of the king. His instructions seem pretty straightforward. However, when he tells the king to strike the ground, he doesn't say how hard or how often. So why should he become angry when the king struck the ground three times?

My guess is not certain but plausible. The king was fearful. He was pleading with the man of God to help. He was passionate enough to come crying for aid. But when it came to force, he was half-hearted. He didn't beat the ground with the ferocity one might expect from a warrior determined to defeat his enemy. 

Time and again in Scripture, whenever a miracle took place, whenever God cleared a path for His people towards freedom and victory, it was preceded by someone calling on Him, not once or twice, but with the grit and attitude of Jacob:

"And Jacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken."

But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

And he said to him, "What is your name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed," (Genesis 32: 24 - 28 ESV).

I am in no way trying to say that God wants us begging and pleading for Him to move on our behalf. I am, however, saying that half-hearted, complacent (or without expectancy) requests will be met with the exact thing we expect. Nothing. 

Sound harsh?

I do apologize. I wish only the best and purest blessing on us. His words to us is to "Love the LORD your God with ALL our hearts, souls, and might (Deuteronomy 6: 5). Jesus also said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven," (Matthew 18: 3). 

As a parent, I can tell you how children are not.

They are not afraid to ask. And ask. And ask. And ask ...

My children would pull on the hem of my shirt until they were certain they'd gotten my attention, then make their requests known. On trips, I would be reminded of my own childhood. "Are we there yet?" was the common and timeless question. A child's concept of time hasn't fully developed, so a 3-hour drive across the state to see a beloved grandparent was more like eternity after a while than an adventure.

And Jesus said we need to become like these little people whose concept of time is underdeveloped and their incessant inquisition will wear on the calmest of nerves.

So lets get back to the arrows.

There is no need to be proper and in good form when striking the ground. Smash those things. Be fierce. be Determined. Don't give in to fatigues ploy to get you to stop and sit down until the battle's been won. Jesus will give us the victory. If the Bible is true, then Jesus' parable in Luke 18: 1 - 8 shows us how to pray with fervency and to not lose heart. The widow sought justice, going to a judge day after day. The judge refused, day after day. Until one day, he said, "Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming."

So strike the arrows, my friend. Keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. 

"... the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up," (Galatians 6: 8b - 9 ESV).

From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11: 12)

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave. rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5: 16 - 17 NKJV)

So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. (Acts 12: 5)

As we see in the Scriptures mentioned, the prayers were packed with urgency. There was a level of expectation that God would answer them, so they would not back down, just like a child who instinctively knows their persistence will produce an answer. 

So, if I can be of any encouragement to us, let it be this:  Hebrews 4: 14 NKJV

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.