Let’s pretend for a moment that you are at the zoo. You see the lion is quietly sitting on the rock and looking around in all his arrogance. It seems as though you could walk up to him and pet that large, furry main. AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN he stands up and roars!!!
If you have ever experienced this kind of roar you know that sound ripples through you like a lightening bolt followed by loud thunder! It is a terrifying sound. I imagine that huge beast running towards me and I have that urge to RUN FAST – and then I realize – I am at the zoo and the glass is between me and the lion. He cannot get to me to devour me.
Now pretend you are sitting on the grass near a wooded area watching the squirrels leap from tree to tree chasing each other. The deer are quietly eating the grass (or the farmer’s beans! hahhaha) and birds are chirping and singing. There is a gentleness with the squirrels as they leap, the deer as they graze, and the birds as they talk among themselves.
My friend, this is the way of the world. The devil is the roaring lion. He looks innocent enough and you believe you could walk right up and pet him. Then he roars! All of a sudden you are caught. He is chasing you. You feel as though he is going to devour you ………BUT THEN AS YOU RUN and scream for help, Jesus, the gentle One, reaches out His hand and pulls you to Him, saving you from the roaring lion and placing you back with the gentleness of the singing birds, the dancing deer and the playful squirrels.
I Peter 5:8-9(a) (NIV) says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…”
That lion is around you all the time, sitting in arrogance, appearing to just be a gentle pet. But when he chooses, he will roar and try to attack you. When you hear that terrifying roar and recognize the devil is prowling around, stand firm in your faith, because God the Almighty one is that glass between you and the devil – just like at the zoo. He will protect you if you ask Him to because He is gentle and kind. And when push comes to shove – He stands up on that rock, looks down on the lion and says “shut your mouth! Listen up! And Hear ME roar!”
