Let God. Won’t He do it!

A menagerie of wild beasts arrived at our door. Lions, a Siberian tiger, and a black panther all came to help us reach children with the gospel. One afternoon, we stood outside a busy road with a humongous tiger and let passersby gawk. What was a big cat doing in the middle of the city at a church?

For a finale at our event my part was to put a lamb on the back of a hungry beast of prey, the lion and get away alive.

The night before the big event, the male lion had to be swapped for the female, the hunter. The normally docile male was anxious. In a pride, the females do the hunting. Made me nervous. Trust God. Won’t He do it.

The trainer, a former animal trainer with Ringling Bros circus assured me we could do it. As we approached the circular cage I heard the snapping and growling of the lion. Two men held her down with chains from outside the cage. They were safe. Another slapped chunks of raw, bloody meat onto a plate for her to attack and gorge down. He was safe.

The trainer told me to take off my red cap. Lions don’t like red. It left my head in a flash in the bushes and is never seen again. On the ground in our path lay a hypodermic loaded rifle in case something went wrong. Then we came to a 457 magnum pistol and I asked why we need it. Of course, in case the hypodermic didn’t work quickly enough.
Then came the cage.

Growling and snapping, growling and snapping. Teeth on bloody meat. The trainer instructed me to stand behind him. Lions don’t like strangers. Is there anything lions do like except killing and eating?

As we entered the small enclosure with hundreds of kids watching, another showed up with a lamb. The lamb was placed on the lion’s back, I put my hand on the back of the lamb. Here I stood next to one of the most powerful predators in all of Africa. This lion could kill an elephant with her massive sinewed clawed paws. The heat of her body reached out as I was only an inch from her. The smell of her fur reached my nose. If she sensed me at all, it would be over in a second. There would be no time for the rifle or the pistol. Those only protected the crowd. My destruction would be too quick. Do they really smell fear?

The trainer tapped my shoulder to signal retreat. The pictures had been taken. I stepped quickly back through the one door of the cage into the relative safety of the outside. We had placed a lamb on the back of the lion and lived. The crowd just saw the stunt. They didn’t feel the closeness of the challenge, the rush of adrenaline, or the excitement of facing uncertainty.

As the pastor over 600 children and 120 workers who served them, this stunt and the zoo were my responsibility. Here we displayed the protection of God and His majesty so children would trust Him with their eternal lives.

As DADS, we want the best for our children. We want them to have fun and challenge and faith. So we live it in front of them. Live your faith. Let God. Won’t He do it! You don’t need to stand beside tigers and lions. That is an extreme. Kids like big things. And kids like little things. They are impressed when you help them learn to ride a bike and face the fears of falling. They are impressed when you pray over them at bed time. How many times have I faced lions in the dark and prayed as they slept while sick?

Stand where you are called to stand. The lion can be a lost job or an unexpected disease or a broken mind or body. The lion can threaten you, your wife, your child, or your friend. Let God. Won’t He do it!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58 NIV

Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
Psalms 112:1‭-‬8 NIV

Phil Larson #thethinkdirector @everyone