When there’s a lion at the door

Column Post by Lakin Easterling

What if God is more than we think He is? What if He resembles more the lion that Scripture says He is than the long-haired white man many Americans imagine Him being? What if He is wild, running after us, wanting us to run beside Him, just as dangerous and good as He is?

I’ve been reveling in the mysteries of Christ lately. I’ve shared a little on this subject, now I’ll share a little more. There are things stirring in the heavenly realms, sisters. God’s Spirit is Alive and Moving, just like a lion in the wilderness.

He is searching for hearts open to His mysteries, so He can pour His Spirit and Knowledge and Understanding into them. He is searching our lives—our communities, our homes, our families, our friends—for people who are willing to be shaken out of their perception of American faith, and enter into the bigger picture of simply faith.

He has things to reveal, to say; He is whispering through our forests, surrounding our mountains, growing bright with sunrises and sunsets.

He is knocking. Who will answer?

Our God is a God of life, full and shaken down and overflowing with riches and treasures we can’t even begin to imagine. Our God has made Himself small and visible in the form of Christ, and even in that small form He was so much for us to see. He has made Himself quiet and patient, like abiding embers under the coals of a fire waiting for us to notice, to stoke the flames up to leaping heights, His Spirit our Light and Warmth and Strength to carry on through the darkness.

There is a lot of darkness in this world. There is another lion, prowling and stalking and trying to shroud himself in the mane of the Father Lion, so as to deceive us, to wreck us, to devour us in our completeness. We know this.

But let me assure you: there is no fear, even when we stare this imposter in the face. Even as he opens his mouth to consume, our God will roar from behind and bring us back to Him. For we are already His, sisters. We were called before the creation of the world to belong to His kingdom, and He will not let us go so easily.

He fights, every second His boundless love becoming the sharpness of teeth or strength of muscle on our behalf. He is full of love for us, not wanting us to miss it; it is more powerful than anything we know. It is greater, higher, deeper than what we can hold.

But you want to know a secret? We were made in his image.

So that lion strength? That’s ours.

That fierce love? That’s ours as well.

We can run and roar and lay down in green pastures safe in our wild freedom because our God loves us, and has kept us as His own.

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Lakin Easterling is a wife, mother, writer, and avid reader. She spends her days chasing her toddler, Belle, and conversing with the elderly who are afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia. She loves surprise coffee dates with her husband Luke, texting novels to her best friend, Laura Hyers, and being a college student. She dreams about being brave enough to get a tattoo, and believes in the healing power of a good cup of coffee. Her favorite nail polish is Sail Away by Milani. She blogs at http://threadingsymphonies.wordpress.com.

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