Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

Several years ago, my wife, Kathy, and a friend gathered up their kids and took a trip to the St. Louis Zoo. “Big Cat Country” had just opened, allowing lions and tigers to roam in large enclosures.  

Our two, preschool-aged boys ran ahead of the moms, who got distracted by a crying infant. The boys innocently squeezed through a child-sized gap in the fence undetected by recent workmen. They clamored to a perch above the lion’s den and proudly shouted, “Hey, Mom, we can see them.” 

Suddenly Kathy realized where the boys were! The boys had no idea how much danger they were in. But Kathy knew, and she also knew this was not the time to scold. Instead, she knelt down, spread out her arms, and called to her children, “Come get a hug.” The boys came running to her embrace, saved by love from a danger greater than they could perceive.

In Scripture, God cautions us about our spiritual Adversary not merely to scold, but to warn of danger greater than we can fully understand. At the same time, he draws us to safety by loving arms spread wide on a cross to receive wandering children into his eternal embrace. Come running to his hug!

Prayer:
Lord, I know that Satan is like a hungry lion, seeking to devour me. When he threatens my soul, help me run to the arms of Jesus that are spread wide to receive me.