THE LION SLEEPS TONIGHT
For some reason, the other day, the songThe Lion Sleeps Tonight (Token) came into my head. "Near the village, the peaceful village, the lion sleeps tonight. Near the village, the quiet village, the lion sleeps tonight."
And I thought, that is so untrue of that roaring lion who seeks to devour us. 1 Peter 5:8 says this "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (NIV)
When things are peaceful in our lives, we should be extremely grateful and give the thanks and praise to God. But we should never, never, never assume Satan sleeps. When our lives are at peace, it is not because he sleeps, it is because of the hedge of protection that God places around His people. Satan is still there, just outside the hedge, pacing and planning, testing the strength of the hedge, hungry for the kill.
We must understand that there will be times when God will allow that hedge to be opened for the purpose of testing us and making us stronger.
Because Satan doesn't sleep, he is always ready to jump in when there is an opening in the hedge. Sometimes he will directly attack you or me. Other times, he will attack a loved one to get at us. Perhaps it will come as a call in the middle of the night letting us know our loved one has died in a wreck. Perhaps it will be these words "the cancer has spread and is inoperable." Perhaps it will be yet another church war where a friend leaves your fellowship, maybe even gives up on church entirely. Maybe just when I am ready to congratulate myself for finally winning it over, that sin that so easily besets me trips me up again. (Heb. 12:1, KJV)
All too often, it is we who open the hedge for Satan and invite the lion in through failing to be vigilant or getting too caught up in the things of the world. I'm reminded how in 2003 Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy was attacked by one of his trained tigers. No matter how long and how friendly you think your relationship is with a big cat, it is always still a wild animal whose nature is to devour. We need to remember that about Satan and stay vigilant - never turning our backs or letting our guard down.
We cannot stop this lion from attacking, but we can, through the Holy Spirit, knowledge of the Word and a strong relationship with God make his attacks on us ineffective.
And we can take comfort in the fact that, while the lion never sleeps, neither does our Lion-Slayer, Jesus Christ.
The nature of the big cats will be changed after Jesus returns (Isa. 11:6; 65:25). But Satan, that roaring lion, will have to be put away where he can no longer get to us or do any harm.
Then we can say, like the Token song "Hush my darling, don't fear my darling, the lion sleeps tonight."
Our Lion-Slayer has already mortally wounded Satan and Satan knows it. But, still, he does what lions do. His nature will not change.
So, in the meantime, we have to be alert and sober minded at all times. We must have our battle swords - an intimate knowledge and understanding of scripture - sharp and ready. 1 Peter 5:9 says, "Resit him, standing firm in the faith." (NIV) James 4:7 says "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (KJV)
To paraphrase the Token song "He-e-e-e-e, he will run away... "
”I’d love to hear your thoughts too. Write me at: Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org. Or feel free to text me at 903-571-6339.
About the N.E.W. Church Lady – She is just an average middle aged woman who has been a believer and church attender all her life. She is married with three grown children. She lives in a small town and works in sales. Her hobbies are fitness, reading, cooking, writing and travel