Fearlessly forward – Day 20

Early in the morning on Friday June 5th, 2015, a lion escaped from the Karoo National Park outside Beaufort West. The lion probably got out through the fence after water caused a hole underneath the fence. Since the park is surrounded by private farms, the agricultural office in the district urged farmers to be cautious and to not allow their workers in the field until the lion was caught.

Can you imagine how the farmers and workers in the district must have felt to go to work every day? I’m sure they were aware of every sound — especially at night — that might remotely have sounded like a lion. Because no one knew exactly where the lion was, it could either have been far away or very close. This was why fear could easily get a grip on people’s minds. I mean, imagine you are busy hanging laundry outside or enjoying a barbecue with the family on the porch and suddenly there is a deafening roar right next to you — with the lion’s fangs snarling at you!

When we fail to discuss our concerns and fears with God, it becomes like this missing lion. It remains in our subconscious while we constantly listen for that roar — in our marriages, at work, in our finances or even with our health. What we forget, however, is that if we constantly expect the worst and fret about it, it becomes like the water making a hole in the fence for the lion to come out and harass us. We attract what we constantly think about. In Job 3:25 Job says: “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.”

Because God knew that we might be plagued by lions from time to time in our lives, He in advance gave us equipment to keep them in the cage. In Hebrews 4:12 we read: “The word of God is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword …” God’s promises are sure and He never changes. His Word is our sword that we use to fight off the lions in the form of fear, doubt and unbelief. And when a lion’s roar feels overwhelming, we can remind ourselves of the psalmist’s words in Psalm 56:3-4: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.”

Let us speak to God about the lions in our lives while relying on His Word. In this way, we are packing stones in front of the fence to prevent water from flushing open a hole in the fence for the lion to escape. Let’s keep the lions at bay as we move fearlessly forward with God by our side! God bless.