Roaring or just purring
Have you ever had an a-ha moment just hit you out of nowhere? You know, something you are not even thinking about in that moment and a word gets said or something happens and the light bulb goes off to make the connection. Well, I had that light bulb shining bright today. Let me try to explain what happened. I work in an office space where I answer phones all day. This is a shared space with usually 2-3 other agents answering calls as well. Our goal is to never sound like one of those packed call centers where all you can hear is all the other voices in the background.
I'll be honest, I have been admonished on more than one occasion that I need to lower my voice because I am too loud. I know I have a loud voice and try to be mindful of it, especially while I'm working. For certain accounts that we have, we do line checks to ensure that the client has forwarded their lines for us to answer. Usually, when this call comes in from another agent you can tell because the caller ID will show our office number.
Well, as I am preparing to get ready for our evening rush, I get an incoming call from the office number and know that it is the line check. I answer in a very silent voice and provide the answer phrase for the company. The call originated from the agent who sits behind me to my left. Now, even speaking at a normal volume, that close of a proximity, you can usually hear the bleed-over on the phone line. Today, not a peep. I was so excited. In that moment, I told the other two agents in the office with me that I know I'm loud and I really am trying to be mindful. The one directly behind me was taken aback at how quiet I was . She was astonished.
The next phrases were where the a-ha comes from. I was talking about when I am at work or anywhere I am very loud. I even made a statement about thinking I need to have my hearing checked because of my loudness. Then it hit...I'm loud everywhere except for where I want to be, in prayer.
Recently, I have started rewatching the old tv series "Touched by an Angel". Sunday night, I watched an episode that I never remember seeing when it originally aired. It was an episode dedicated to the scripture 1 Peter 5:8 which says "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." The trio of Tess, Andrew and Monica were sent to the home of a young couple expecting their first child at Halloween. The show first shows us Tess and Monica on a metal apartment fire escape after the couple goes inside. Tess tells Monica to stand watch and be vigilant because the enemy will be coming. As the night goes on, Monica becomes aware of a presence coming. As she stands guard, the lion comes out of the shadows. Looking up and seeing Monica on guard, it roars and retreats into the night.
As the episode goes on, seemingly out of nowhere a deck of tarot cards shows up at the hair salon where the wife works. You meet the young orphan boy that she is trying to help as well as two of the regulars of the shop. Of course, the wife starts fooling around with the tarot cards and things start to come true. An unexpected check after a prediction of a financial win, one of the salon customers getting hit by a lyon delivery truck after the cards showed she would be taken out by a lion, and then the death card showed up for the other lady leading her to conclude that her cancer had returned. She determined that cancer was not going to win and decided she would kill herself instead. She brings herself and the other lady to where the husband is and they begin to take shots as she works up the courage to do the deed.
Andrew steps in to stop the suicide and brings both ladies and the husband together, along with Tess, to tell them the enemy has laid a scheme to take out the wife and their unborn child. Admitting their fear, they feel as though they have no power to stop them. While Tess and Andrew continue working with them on whay has to be done, we are taken back to the salon where Monica, the wife and the little boy are setting up for the annual Halloween party. Monica has stepped into the backroom to put something away and the boy tells the wife she has to go back to the apartment to get the food since the husband is not coming. She leaves while Monica is in the back.
As she gets to the apartment, she gets the hot food from the oven and starts down the stairs. From out of nowhere, she is sent flying down the stairs, tumbling to the landing at the bottom. As she lies there writhing in pain, the lion makes it way down the stairs towards her. As the camera pans across the lion, it metamorphosis into the little orphan boy she has been taking care of and letting work for her. As Monica arrives, the lion now in the form of the boy mocks the angel, telling her that she is too late and she can do nothing to save them now. As she encourages the wife to cry out to God for help, the boy flinches which symbolized he was doing something to cause more to harm the wife and she is sent into labor. As the wife passes out from the pain, Monica prays over her for protection. Softly, in the distance you can hear singing begin. The song gets louder and louder as Andrew, Tess, the husband and two ladies approach the building. As they arrive, the singing brings the wife back to consciousness and she is able to verbally rebuke the boy.
As the boy shifts back to lion form and bolts up the staircase, the group at the bottom of the stairs continues to pray and sing over the wife and unborn child. Monica takes off up the stairs into the apartment, back out onto the metal fire escape where all of this had started. There, in the alley below, is the lion pacing and roaring. As Monica stands her ground, the lion turns to go back into the darkness. As he takes a step, what was a roaring king of the beasts becomes a small little kitten with its tail tucked between its legs as it runs off into the darkness.
I didn't intend to share all of that bit it wasn't for no reason. Job 37:4 says "After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard." While the enemy may roar and seek to devour he will always cower and run when a louder voice roars. God's voice will always roar louder than the enemy. Isaiah 42:13 says "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies." If we as believers unleash the Lion inside of us, there is not an enemy that can stand against us.
Let me take this back to my a-ha moment. In my natural, I am very loud without even trying to be. But once I get into church, I become silent and reserved. I pray whispered words under my breath that no one can hear and even if I try to be loud, the volume just does not come. There are moments of boldness when I will step out and speak up although few and far between. But, I believe the key is this: I am the one trying to create the volume. As an Apostolic believer, God by the Holy Ghost is inside of me. I have to let the Lion roar and not me myself.
So come on my soul, oh, don't you get shy on meLift up your song, 'cause you've got a lionInside of those lungsGet up and praise the LordOh, come on my soul, oh, don't you get shy on meLift up your song, 'cause you've got a lionInside of those lungsGet up and praise the LordCome on my soul, oh, don't you get shy on meLift up your song, 'cause you've got a lionInside of those lungsGet up and praise the Lord.
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