1 Peter 5:8 "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour."
Peter warns his readers that the Devil is a very real and very dangerous enemy. He compares the Devil to a lion prowling the earth looking for a "victim to devour." Wow. Peter is very descriptive and blunt. This verse shouldn't be read to children before bedtime! But it should be read and remembered by us. The Devil is a lion. Lions stalk, hunt, and attack their prey with force and violence. There is no mercy in a lion's den. So Peter says "Be careful!" and "watch out."
I'll be honest. I'm not usually on the lookout for lions. Living in Minnesota they are not on my radar. I'm on the lookout for spring, a good deal, and a free lunch, but not lions. I'm also rarely ever on the lookout for the devil. Maybe it's my 21st century self that puts the devil and demons into some rear compartment in my brain where I never think about them, but I rarely do. Peter says I should. According to Peter (and Jesus) the Devil is stalking me. He's after me. So what can I do about it? Peter writes to "watch out." And maybe that's the whole point? Just watch out. Be alert. Be ready. How can I be ready and watch out today? How can I look for signs that the enemy is after me and my family? How can I be ready to resist him today. Is my faith strong enough to help me guard against an attack?
Dear Jesus, please defend me from the lion today. Amen.
