Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. —1 Peter 5:8
On my first trip through Florida as a sixth grader, after ninety minutes of relent- lessly begging my father to do so, we stopped at an alligator farm. I think my dad was a little curious himself. What we saw was something I could never have anticipated.
Inside a fenced-in area there must have been two hundred alligators. Most of them were the size of small SUVs. And they looked dead—like logs floating in a shallow river waiting for the paper mill.
My dad had stopped long enough for his restless taste. Trips were to be conquered—an idiosyncrasy I inherited in full measure—and we had taken enough time looking at these alligators.
But just as we were about to leave, the alligators’ favorite person showed up. This was the farm’s chef, and he was about to serve lunch. When the alligators saw him move to the edge of the fence, they began to shuffle around. “They are alive,” I whispered to my brother.
The man reached into the huge bucket he had brought with him. He pulled out a half chicken, fully defeathered, and tossed it into the alligators’ pen. At that moment, our visit to the alligator farm became an unforgettable memory. I had never seen anything like it. These sleepy giants exploded from their lethargy. The still water turned to foam, and the gargantuan reptiles leaped into the air, rolling and snapping their immense jaws with absolute fury.
We stood there aghast at this awesome sight. What had looked like dozing tree trunks became a froth of frantic monsters.
Like you, I’ve also been to the zoo and seen the lions sunning themselves. Just like the alligators in Florida, these big cats looked tame and sluggish. The apostle Peter described our enemy, the devil, as a “roaring lion” (v. 8). But throw something delectable in his direction, and he, too, will erupt in a frenzy.
Peter himself had dared to come too close to the dozing lion. “Nice kitty,” Peter had whispered when he boastfully announced that he would never betray his Savior. “Nice kitty,” he said as he warmed himself by the fire on the night before Jesus’s crucifixion. But it was feeding time, and the lion pounced, devouring his vulnerable prey.
Peter knew exactly what he was talking about. This predator looks safe and innocent, even friendly. But if you get too close, you’ll discover Satan’s incredible power. He will have you where he wants you, and you will lose control. And this usually happens with no warning at all. Not-so-nice kitty.
Our lives are filled with lazy alligators and sleeping lions. They’re waiting for us to get close enough to consume us. What can we do? Thankfully, Peter told us. “Humble yourselves”; recognize that you’re up against an unbeatable foe, “casting all your cares on him” (vv. 6–7). Trust God. Worrying makes you more vulnerable. Instead, “be sober-minded, be alert” (v. 8)—enough said.
Do these things, Peter told his readers, and God will care for us. He’ll protect us from the temptation before the devil unleashes his fury, and He’ll save us from Satan’s awful onslaught. Peter tells us God will “restore, establish, strengthen, and support” us (v. 10).
And be encouraged. You’re not alone in this battle. Remember that “the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers”—men like Pe- ter—“throughout the world” (v. 9). They’re protected, too.
Satan may look harmless, lying there with his eyes closed. He may look safe, peaceful, and approachable. He’s not.