Arrows in the hand of the mighty – Ps 127

Gen 15:13

And he said unto Abram, know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.

The bible is a book of immigrants, and African immigrants are like arrows shot into space and time by God. As arrows, we are guided by the eyes of the wisdom of God, where speed (commitment) and the weight of the arrow (perseverance) are critical factors for success. The story of Abraham in Gen 15 provides a classic example.

God in His foreknowledge chose Joseph to be a shepherd for Abraham’s descendants in Egypt to fulfill His promise to Abraham – Gen 15:13. Joseph was a well of God’s grace undisturbed and uninjured by many challenges to nurture the people of Israel. Likewise, African Immigrants are arrows in God’s hand shot in time by the arm of God and are guided by the eyes of His wisdom to be wells of God’s grace. We are the stone and shepherd of African community (our mission) to nurture and promote the gospel among African immigrants’ community (our purpose). In this journey, the distance we travel is our destiny.

The distance travel of an arrow is the space between the archer and the target. The distance travel decay is because of head winds of troubles, side winds of distractions, the gravity of discouragement, and the dead weight of unbelief. These struggles, crisis, and challenges along the way determine the size and weight of the arrow. Thus, our perseverance speaks to the degree our convictions and the ability to withstand all spiritual wickedness that try to pull us down, distract, and obstruct God’s mission and purpose for us in North American. However, as off shuts of God’s prophetic arrow, we will not miss our target. God in His foreknowledge has designed us for the distance, accounting for the challenges and weariness along the way.

Joseph distance travel was 17 years, and the decay was the years of fatigue, hurts, grieve, sorrow, and painful experiences that smooth and shaped his character as well as framed his mindset. “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good to the saving of many soul “- Gen 50: 19-21. The scriptures described Joseph as a lily that stretched over the walls of bitterness, hatred, and hurts. Lilies are ground covers. They need something to prop them up. The walls of challenges raised Joseph to walk on his stormy waters and mountains of bitterness, temptations, revenge, and the anger that tried to trap his soul, derail his mission, and purpose of God. Like Joseph, our journey and all that it brings to bear defines our destiny.

Therefore, we have a distance to travel (destiny), a direction (Vision), a specific target (mission), an outcome (purpose), a style (culture), and benefits (values).