March 22

Yet he steadied his bow, and his strong arms were tempered by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, — Gen 49:24 BSB

Our forefathers were renowned for their skill with the bow. Great victories, like those at Cressy and Agincourt, were won by English archers who had learned from boyhood how to use the bow. Latimer, in a sermon to the king, noted that fathers would place their hands on their sons’ hands, teaching them how to shoot, putting the strength of their own bodies into the pull of the bow. When the boy drew the bowstring, it wasn’t his strength that did it, nor was it his eye that directed the arrow to the mark. It appeared as though the child was drawing the bow, but it was the father’s strength and guidance that truly accomplished it.

This is how it was with Joseph, as our text describes: “The arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.” God placed His hands upon Joseph’s hands, drawing the bow for him, directing the arrow, and ensuring it hit the mark. Apply this to your own experience. When you pray effectually, it is not you praying; it is the Spirit of God praying in you, helping your infirmities and interceding with groanings too deep for words. When you believe, it is the Spirit of God working faith in you. When you hope, it is the Spirit producing hope in you. When you love, it is the Spirit pouring love into your heart. It is God’s hands upon your hands, strengthening you by the mighty hands of the God of Jacob.