A Thought For The Week Of July 28

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Last week I came across a video that was shot in Kenya. A baby giraffe was being targeted by an entire pride of lions. But the baby wasn't helpless - because the baby had its mother with it. The big mother giraffe managed to get her baby right underneath her, so that the mother was directly above the baby and on all sides of it. Every now and then a lion would start to creep toward her and the mother giraffe would rear up on her hind legs and then come crashing down on the ground, stomping the ground with her front feet - which immediately made the lions back off. The person who took the video said that this went on for about a half hour before the lions finally gave up and decided that they'd look for an easier meal. But it reminded me of the comparison Peter made between the devil and a lion. Make of the devil what you will. Some people believe that the devil (or Satan) is an actual evil being; others lean toward the idea that it's a personification of the power of evil. Either way, the point is that evil is a very real and powerful force in the world and sometimes in our lives. Sometimes it does seem to target you, and you wonder if you can pull through. And then, the gift of faith is the sudden realization that God is with you - above you and on all sides of you, ready to see you through whatever "evil" may be attacking you; whatever hard time may have come upon you. I suspect that the baby giraffe in the video was very frightened by the presence of the lions. But I also suspect that the baby giraffe had total trust in its mother, knowing that with its mother there, those lions wouldn't get it. After all, as often as the lions crept forward, the baby never seemed to panic or try to run away. It just stayed locked in its spot underneath its mother. There's a lesson in that video for us. If things are getting out of hand and trouble seems all around you - remember that God is all around you too. Trust in God, and you will make it through. Have a great week!