The Lions are Hunting

I have been in a number of conversations over the last few weeks where the discussion has been about the craziness of the world we are living in.

The pressures that people are feeling right now from the world situation, the national situation and the economic situation are significant and are taking their toll on people.

I wish that was all that was happening though! It is not.
•Parents are struggling with the pressures their children are under.
•Married couples are struggling to keep their relationships together and growing.
•Pornography is damaging men and women, married and single, young and old.
•Singles are struggling with loneliness and the pressures of a promiscuous culture.

Everything that is happening reminds me of a verse written by the Apostle Peter:
Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to chew up and swallow. (1 Peter 5:8 NIrV)

It is interesting that Peter uses a lion as a picture of the attacker. Lions are great hunters. There are some interesting facts that make the picture of a lion especially apropos to the struggles of life.

Lions are not the fastest of animals. They are actually slower than most of the prey they eat. They are sneaky though. They will sneak up on a ‘wildebeest’ and then pounce in a final burst of speed. They are also experts at waiting until the prey needs something like water or shade and then hunting them in their moment of need. They also rely on the forgetfulness of the prey. It is not unusual for a herd of ‘gazelle’ to be chased and one to be caught and eaten while the rest of the herd goes back to business as usual. Within a short time the whole episode starts again as if the herd of ‘gazelle’ were taken by surprise. Lions also hunt in a group. The prey gets distracted by one lion, only to be caught by another.

Control yourselves. Be on your guard. Don’t be snuck up on. Be ready when you have a need. Don’t forget how the enemy works – he’s relying on a person’s forgetfulness! Be on your guard when the lion is trying to get you in one area another lion might strike!