Martha Rudolph
THE IN-BETWEEN
Have you ever experienced a lion's roar up close and personal?
During a visit to the zoo, we had the good fortune to observe the big cats moving and being vocal. Even though we were separated by the thick observation glass, the lion's roar was frighteningly powerful. I was yards away from a fully grown, magnificent male lion mid roar. Everything about him was intimidating. His sharp teeth were displayed nicely by his huge open mouth; his posture, poised and ready; his roar, resounding. Through the power of technology, I had a false familiarity with the sound of a lion roaring. Personal experience brought my understanding from black and white to full color. Even in the safety of the observation room, I was paralyzed. The rational part of my brain told me we were safe, but the emotional part of me knew danger was imminent. So, as soon as I could gather myself and my crew, we took some very large steps away from the glass. A lion's roar is used as a simile often in scripture, and in light of my zoo experience, this one verse no longer made complete sense to me: 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. The sight and sound of the roar I experienced was enough to make me momentarily question the safety provided by the observation glass and the wisdom of staying put. There is nothing subtle about the roar of a lion. It seems counter-intuitive then that the picture of a prowling lion would be a roaring one, so I decided to examine the vocabulary to see what I was missing. "Be sober-minded" - be watchful, be constantly on the lookout for trouble as a watchman protecting a village. "Your adversary the devil" - Satan, whose goal is to get back at God by hurting you and preventing you and anyone else from reconciling with Him. "Prowls" - moving restlessly and stealthy looking for prey. "like a roaring lion" - fear inducing, paralyzing. "Devour" - consume destructively. Reconstructing the verse helped me to grasp it's intensity and message on a new level. We have an urgent need to actively be on the lookout because Satan is undercover, on a covert mission, looking constantly for ways to paralyze us with fear and prevent us from moving forward into God's plan. He wants us to fix our eyes on our obstacles so we, afraid and doubting, are destructively consumed. The enemy sneak attacks us with fear. So what do we do? Even when we recognize the attack, there is still fear and doubt. Emotional responses are not wrong, but allowing them to guide our decisions plays directly into our enemy's schemes. When fear drives our decisions, we focus on escaping that fear which rarely, if ever, leads us to face it. But what if what God has called us to is just on the other side of that roar? What if changing course to avoid that imminent danger is exactly the opposite of what walking in obedience looks like? What if obedience in following God means stepping towards, not running from the roar. Honestly, that feels like a tall order, but, by taking emotional thoughts captive, removing our worrisome 'what ifs', we can then be guided by truth. The belt of truth is an important part of God's armor that we are told to put on so "that 'we' may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil." Ephesians 6:12 Kind David, as a boy shepherd, tracked down a lion who stole one of his sheep and, by the divine providence of God, destroyed the lion and returned the sheep to the fold. God was with him as he pursued what was lost to the lion and granted him victory. What has our roaring, devouring enemy stolen from you? What have you lost to fear? It's time to reclaim it. Don't listen to the lies. Don't let fear, in whatever form it has taken hold of your life, win. God has the power to reclaim, restore and resurrect. If what we have lost is something we need to fulfill the future plans He has for us, then no weapon formed against us will prosper. It's time to attack the roar. Admit and face those fears while clinging to God's spoken truths, and leave the battle you are afraid of facing to Him.
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AuthorHi! I'm a mom to four, wife, and Christ follower. Fueled by coffee and prayer, I write about family, lessons I have learned encountering what it means to live a joy-filled life, especially when stuck in between promise and resolution. Archives
June 2019
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