We’ve all heard how the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. When I was a child and read that verse, I tell you, it sounded scary. The devil… a roaring lion? Stay away from him. That’s what you do if a lion is let loose, right!
On the other hand, every child has read the story of David, the shepherd boy, and he said in 1 Samuel 17, “When a lion… came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it.” Wow! Did you hear that? I mean, David – just a teenaged kid with a big heart for God – David went after the lion. Amazing! That small incident recorded in 1 Samuel 17 sure has a way of making lion-sized enemies (the adversary, the devil) look a lot less scary, right? Here was one young man who wasn’t afraid when the lion came looking for someone to devour. David went after him! It speaks to me.
Years have passed since I was a child and read those Bible stories, but I’m still invigorated, I’m so encouraged, I’m still greatly helped by the way David approached the lions in his life. His courage reminds me not only do I need not be afraid of my adversary, the devil; David’s courage reminds me to be brave when lion-sized trials come looking for me, looking to destroy my faith, or claw away at my peace of mind or heart. Being a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, believe me, I need to remember that when the lion comes, “Joni, go after it!” I’m not a child anymore; I don’t need to be afraid. Through Christ, I am an overcomer. I can rejoice in suffering. I can even welcome that trial as a friend.
Why? Because every lion in my life and in your life is a heaven-sent opportunity to prove what we really believe about Jesus and His grace to sustain. We can face trials head-on (like David going after those lions)… we can face them because each trial gives us a chance to demonstrate to an unbelieving and a skeptical, cynical world that, yes, Jesus is Lord, He is worth trusting, he is work obeying, it is worth anything to be His friend.
I learned long ago that I don’t need to be afraid of the devil when he prowls like a lion. I’ve also learned not to be afraid of the dark and treacherous trial that looms on the horizon. My wise and kind Father in heaven lets loose those trials upon me – that’s why I can see them as opportunities… they are opportunities in disguise.
Dare to be a David today, friend. When the trial comes creeping into your life, don’t run the other way; like David, you may find yourself going after it today. Face it. Stand firm, as it says in Ephesians 6. Persevere and press on; lay hold of that trial. In so doing, may God open your eyes – and may He open my eyes further, too – to see Jesus, the lion of Judah, in every trial, in every danger, and every disappointment.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends