“The lions, Bwana! They have killed and eaten two more people! Heh! That makes 20 of our Songo tribe those killers have destroyed. And who knows how many goats and how much cattle.” The boy who helped in the kitchen was very excited and upset.
The missionary looked out into the darkness of the African night. Was it his imagination, or was he really smelling the musky odor that meant a lion was nearby? The shadow of every moving bush looked like a lion about to leap. He did not blame the people for being afraid. Never had he known the lions to make such raids upon cattle corrals and villages as they were doing now. It was no longer safe to go outside at night.
In the bright sunlight of the next morning, lions were forgotten for the time being. There were the sick people waiting to be cared for, the morning Bible lesson to give, and school lessons soon to begin. The laughter of little boys and girls was in the air, and things did not seem nearly as frightening as the night before.
Glancing out a window, the missionary saw that some of the goats had gotten into his vegetable garden. He and his wife had worked hard on that precious patch of vegetables, and he knew it would take no time at all for those goats to do a lot of damage.
The missionary started toward the garden, stopping just long enough on the way to pick up a stick to chase the goats with. He had almost reached the goats when he stopped short in horror. He was face to face with three lions!
The lions were crouched with their eyes fixed on him. Their tails were switching back and forth, like those of great cats. The missionary gripped his useless stick as his heart cried to God for help. He did not dare to run — they would attack him in an instant.
Suddenly there was a frightened cry from one of the goats near him who had caught the scent of his dreaded enemy the lion. Seemingly in bewildered panic, the goat dashed between the missionary and the lions.
In a flash, the three lions were on the goat in a snarling, clawing heap. The missionary knew that this was God’s deliverance for him, and he raced back to the house while the lions’ attentions were taken up with the goat they were tearing apart.
As soon as the missionary had gasped out his story, he and several others armed with guns hurried cautiously back to the spot, but the huge beasts had already bounded away, dragging the goat with them, and were nowhere to be seen.
How would you like to come face to face with even one hungry lion, boys and girls? Did you know “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”? You can read this verse in 1 Peter 5:88Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: (1 Peter 5:8). We cannot see this “lion,” but he is very real. It is his desire to destroy every one of us, but Someone saw our great danger and has come between us and the devil. It was the Lord Jesus!
The frightened goat made a fatal mistake when he dashed between the missionary and those three hungry lions. The Lord Jesus was not making a mistake, and He did not come between us and our “lion” — Satan — without thinking. He came on purpose because of His great love for us!
ML-07/06/1986