Lion Bait — Adam’s Angle

Maybe I’m an oddball but, more than once, I’ve imagined trying to fight off a mountain lion with my bare hands.

The reasons are quite simple:

1). I like to hike.
2). I live in California.
3). Mountain lions also live in California.
4). Mountain lions like to eat hikers.

The logic is straightforward.

I’m glad to say I’ve never come across a mountain lion in the wild. This is good because in my imagination I’ve never been able to successfully fight one off. Sometimes, I’m able to scare one away by making a lot of noise, or I’m able to fight one off long enough for my wife to get back to the main trail to alert a park ranger. But when it comes to me vs. Mr. Lion—Snaggletooth always wins.

That’s why, for a long time, 1 Peter 5:8-9 didn’t comfort me: “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.”

Is that passage supposed to be encouraging? We’re supposed to resist a bloodthirsty opponent who not only outguns us, but who also is intent on destroying us. What hope do we have?

We do have a lot of hope. But it’s found in the bigger context of the passage. The reason Christians shouldn’t freak out when facing Satan is because the faith we stand in is faith in God, not in ourselves.

His Strength, Not Yours

The thing that gives me encouragement about those scary verses in 1 Peter 5:8-9 is they are surrounded by two passages about God’s faithfulness. The first passage reminds the readers to rely on God and not on themselves:

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:5-7).

When Peter warns us about how dangerous Satan is, he’s not pulling out his best scare tactics to inspire fear. It’s not like he’s having a dinner party and, as the guests walk out the door, he says to them, “By the way, there have been reports of a serial killer wandering our neighborhood. Hope you make it home!”

Instead, when Peter warns us of the reality of Satan’s schemes against us, he does so against the backdrop of God’s greater power and care for us. God is ready and willing to help us as we face the enemy of our souls.

This Too Shall Pass

After Peter exhorted his readers to resist Satan and to stand firm in their faith, he encouraged them by reminding them of God’s faithfulness to make all things right. Their trials were real, but they would not last forever. God’s delivery was sure:

and the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10).

At the very least, Paul’s original readers were undergoing verbal abuse for leading lives that were honoring to Christ, but deplorable to the people of the world (1 Peter 4:4). We may be facing similar persecution and misunderstanding from people who don’t know Christ as we seek to honor Him.

But, we also know that Satan’s tactics don’t end with nasty words. We face temptations, broken family relationships, and, sometimes, lingering seasons of bad health. Yet we also know that, whatever the trial, God is our sure deliverer.

Sometimes we see God’s deliverance in 48 hours. Other times we have to wait for the end of our lives. We don’t know the timing, but we do know that every trial we face is temporary and that God will deliver His own.

God cares. God helps. And He is certain to win the final victory over our short-lived trials and the long-time adversary of our souls.

So when you find yourself in the lion’s den, look to God and His faithfulness. He’ll make you lionhearted.

— Adam Pivec
5/23/09