In this country, the United States, most of the wilderness has been tamed. We live in a world of interstate highways and sky scrapers, condominiums and supermarkets. Tales of the "olden times" when forests stretched across the continent and "bears and panthers" lurked behind every tree, seem very far away and long ago. Almost mythology, in fact.
But some little pockets of wilderness remain, and in the remote, secluded areas of non-civilization there are still descendents of those early bears and panthers holding on to life in a changing habitat.
Mountain lions (the origin of the "panther" stories) may be few and scattered, but they still exist. They are as big as ever, too; they may stand 30 inches high at the shoulder with a length of seven and a half feet, nose to tail, and perhaps weigh over 200 pounds. Nor have their appetites changed. They are great hunters, chiefly of deer, but have no objection to taking sheep, cattle, horses, or even—human beings. Yes, even in this day and time.
Five-year-old Laura Small was walking with her mother in a "wilderness park" in California. Suddenly a mountain lion leaped from the brush and seized Laura in his teeth.
Hiking nearby, Gregory Ysais heard the hysterical screams and ran to their aid. Waving a stick and shouting, he approached the big cat. "It seemed forever at the time," he said, but at last the lion released Laura. Gregory jumped between them, and the child's mother caught her up and ran.
Laura had severe head and face injuries, but she is recovering. Her mother and Gregory Ysais had an experience they will never forget. And the lion? Well, let's hope he retreats farther back into the wilderness!
There is another lion that the world has consigned to the realm of legends and myths, but he is very much alive today. The Word of God tells us that "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).
Has his nature changed through the years? Not one bit! He is as much an enemy of Christ—and of all mankind—as he ever was in the days when the government of Rome was throwing Christians to the wild animals.
He may disguise himself as an "angel of light," but the sharp claws are still underneath, and the insatiable appetite. Are you strong enough to fight this enemy on your own? No, not you—nor I—nor the strongest man who ever lived.
Little Laura was helpless in the lion's grip. Her mother could not save her, but one came to the rescue and stood between the little girl and a dreadful death. Even so, there is One who is more powerful than the devil, one who has power to save and to keep: the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Gregory risked his own life to save Laura, but he escaped uninjured. The Lord Jesus, though, gave His life to save you and me from the power of sin and Satan. We would surely have been dragged down to hell had He not come into the world and died, "the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18).
Won't you thank Him for that sacrifice?