March: Lions and Lambs

I’ve heard it said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

It’s talking about the weather, about the belief that there must be balance and so if March starts off roaring and wintery it will end docilely and springlike.

And it seems to be true, at least the first half, at least in a different way, at least this year.

There’s the situation with Ukraine and Russia.

A friend of friends is stuck in Ukraine, trying to get out after not being evacuated with some others, and it’s all really hard on him, and we don’t know if he’s a Christian.

During my family reunion in Georgia the last week of February, we had a special time of prayer for a few people among us who were struggling with health, discouragement, etc.

A friend of an Instagram acquaintance died on the first of the month, after a long battle with chronic illness.

There’s more–I’m seeing so much grief and fear. Satan’s roaring and walking about and seeking to devour.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8 (KJV)

A lion. Roaring. Loudness. Brutality. Fear. Bloodshed, tears shed.

And I’m trying to balance on a tightrope above two yawning pits. I don’t want to let this all drag me down, tear me apart, take my eyes off of good and hope and joy and peace and God. . . But I also don’t want to be hard, cold, uncaring, apathetic; I don’t want to ignore the hurting around me, push away all the emotions and compassion; I don’t want to not slow down and see and pay attention. There must be balance.

“But Satan’s not the only lion,” I scrawl in my diary after these previous thoughts. “Jesus is too.” Jesus is also the Lamb.

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb.

May March be full of Jesus.

May our eyes and hearts be opened to see Him.

May we seek and surrender to His will.

May we experience His power, His protection, His anger against evil/injustice, His victory.

May we experience His gentleness, His forgiveness, His long-suffering patience.

May we experience His love above all, in all.

May we learn of Him and teach of Him.

May we draw close to Him and know He is drawing close to us.

May we trust Him, trust His love, even when we don’t know/understand His plan.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (KJV)
{This was the daily verse on BibleGateway when I used it to find verses for this post.}

May March be the month of the Lion and the Lamb.

P.S. Check out these verses about lions and such: 1 Samuel 17:37, Psalm 22:11-13 and 19-21, Psalm 91:13 (really, the whole chapter is amazing and encouraging), Isaiah 35:9 (again, the whole chapter), Daniel 6:22-23, 2 Timothy 4:17, Joel 3:16, and Isaiah 31:4. Also check out Psalm 46 and Psalm 18 (see my post about it here).

P.P.S. I wrote this March 3. March 4 I got an update on the friend of friends that’s stuck in Ukraine: it’s a good thing he wasn’t evacuated with the others and hasn’t been able to get to the Ukraine-Poland border, because to get across the border he needs a parent to sign papers or something (not sure on all the details); otherwise he would be denied and sent away. So now they’re trying to get him and his mom there. My friend updating us called it a God thing. God knew that was the situation, and He was already working! His ways and thoughts are higher!