There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (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)). Do you know what the word vigilant means? If not, you will learn when you read this story, and you will better understand just why God put it in His Word, the Bible.
A beautiful black and white cat lives next door to us. It has a pretty face, but its presence spells death to birds, mice and any other small, living creatures. A little chipmunk, that is almost tame, also lives nearby. It scurries in and out of its underground nest, gathering seeds and nuts and will sometimes eagerly eat from my hand.
As I came out of the house recently, I saw the cat playing with a small animal on the road. The cat would toss it up, let it run a bit, and then pounce on it again.
As I went closer to see what the little animal was, my neighbor also came running, calling his cat and shouting to it to “let that little chipmunk go!”
Every day that little chipmunk must be on guard for his life. He must always be vigilant, because his enemy is continually lurking nearby. We can feel sorry for him, but the Bible tells us that you and I who have taken the Lord Jesus as our Saviour are also in danger from a strong, lurking enemy. Our enemy is the devil, who has power to tempt us to do what is wrong, to lure us into evil, or to deceive or fool us. He comes as an angel of light, so we are warned to “be vigilant,” which means we should be watchful and always on guard.
My neighbor was able to get close and grab the cat, while the little chipmunk fled like an arrow up a spruce tree on our lawn. The cat wriggled and very quickly escaped the clutches of its owner. Then, to my surprise, the cat dashed just as fast up the tree after the chipmunk. But I knew the big cat could not easily follow the little chipmunk through the maze of small branches and twigs on that tree.
When I looked into the tree, I saw the cat sitting on a branch, defeated, while the chipmunk had his choice of escape routes. He had escaped out of the very jaws of death!
Like the little chipmunk, we can be caught completely off guard, unless we pay attention to God’s warning and take it seriously. You and I need to run from the many temptations the devil tries to put in our way. Here is another helpful Bible verse that is good to remember: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Proverbs 18:1010The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10)). It is only when we take shelter in Christ that Satan cannot come near us and must back off, defeated. But it is up to you and me to call on Jesus and trust Him to save us.
We hope our little chipmunk will be a lot more watchful from now on, because he lives so close to his deadly enemy the cat. And we also hope that every boy and girl will listen to God’s warning and be just as watchful of their enemy, the devil, who is always waiting to trap them. He comes in many disguises.
Just as there was safety for the chipmunk in that nearby tree, boys and girls can find safety in the Lord Jesus Christ when they call on Him. And now that you know what the word means, I will remind you again, “Be vigilant!”
ML-05/13/2007