We had just cleared the gate in our safari vehicle and had gotten our first glimpse of the huge savannah stretching out before us, when the radio beeped. Someone had spotted the lions! We jolted and bumped our way down the narrow dirt road in our quest to see these illusive beasts.
As we pulled up and joined a caravan of safari vans, jeeps and cars, I saw one lion head off to our right, and then I looked to my left and another lion slunk right past me.
The lions were hunting!
A pack of zebras were contentedly grazing just a measly hundred yards away. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Would we see a lion take down a zebra today, I wondered? Part of me was excited about witnessing this real-life drama and the other half wondered if I would be traumatized for the rest of my life, from the experience.
I continued to watch this lean and muscular mama lion as she patiently watched the zebras and waited for her hunting partner to come around the other side. She was just yards from where I stood in our open-aired van. She would crouch down and crawl on her belly trying to get a better view of the zebras. The color of her fur was a perfect match to the savannah grass and I could easily see how camouflaged she was. The zebras continued to eat undisturbed just yards away while DEATH watched and waited!
As I stood in the van that morning, watching this drama play out, I clearly saw the parallels to my own spiritual life.
I am like the zebra . . . Contented. Comfortable. Complacent. Focused on my own satisfaction. Completely oblivious to the danger.
Death waiting for me to get separated from the pack. Death watching for any signs of weakness or vulnerability.
When life overwhelms us, it’s easy to pretend the danger isn’t really there. When all we can see is our need for comfort, it’s so easy to forget! When we’re distracted by busyness, it’s easy to let ourselves become isolated and alone.
And there we are, a prime target for his attack!
It’s why the apostle Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5.8:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
We have an enemy who hungers for our souls.
And he is patient . . .
Just like the lion, he is watching and waiting for just the right time to attack.
And he is patient . . .
He prowls around the edges of our lives, waiting for the time when we allow ourselves to become vulnerable and weak.
And he is patient . . .
Never have I seen more clearly how susceptible I am and how patient the enemy is.
How do we fight this enemy? By being on guard. By staying alert. By banding together; warning of the danger, encouraging the discouraged and standing in the gap for each other. This is what the body of Christ is for. This is what it means to be in community. This is how we keep the enemy from winning!
Spilling His Grace,
kristi
2 thoughts on “Lesson from the Lions”
Lisa Finkel
Oh Kristi, I’ve been waiting for this one!:) I meant to tell you that I used this as an example when we did the armor of God last week. The leaders loved it and it really got them thinking about how “being distracted” might be when the devil attacks even more so then when we are weak. I love it! Lisa ________________________________
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Kerisman2
So glad to be in community with you! Thanks for listening to me, encouraging me, supporting my journey.
Love you sis
Karen Erisman, Elegant Akcents
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