Let’s talk Lion King. The music from my childhood and then you add Beyoncé? I can’t even.
My youngest sat with me, singing along with the songs, and everything is Disney magical until Simba goes into the valley to work on his roar, led by his evil Uncle Scar. Oh no…I remember this valley, and as I squeeze my son tight, Scar starts an antelope stampede. Simba tries to escape and His father dies saving him. When he finds his father dead, Scar begins to whisper mistruth to Simba, “This was all your fault…you must never show your face again…you should run.”
Watching the scene play out, I realize I have heard those whispers before…the accusations of the Great Deceiver who longs to kill and destroy us…1 Peter 5:8 says it plainly.
As Scar bends down and whispers mistruth into Simba’s ear, it reminded me that I have to fight the Deceiver’s mistruths or I will run too…not into my loving Father’s arms, but away…away from my purpose and away from my calling and like Simba…I’ll miss my destiny.
If you would have asked me ten years ago, I may have given you pushback on whether the Deceiver works like that or not, if he is real and whispers mistruth. Scar wasn’t whispering lies to Timon and Pumbaa. Why? They were no threat to Scar. In reflection, I don’t think I heard those whispers as strongly because I was busy building my own kingdom, so he didn’t need to deter me from building God’s. As my gaze has become more set on my God, I wrestle with those whispers more and it compels me to pray.
How can we fight those whispers? We have to pray…and not weak little prayers. We have to learn to fight with prayer…consistently, with big asks and bigger faith. Priscilla Shirer’s book, Fervent, changed everything about prayer for me. How I view communication with God and the power that prayer has is different after reading that book.
Check out Fervent for yourself, or go through it with a few friends. Even if you do pray, and know how to pray, or have tried prayer stuff in the past…I had heard about prayer forever and this book blew my life up. Learn how to pray and pray hard. Plead with God and keep your eyes on your Father, who will forever be the voice of truth leading you forward.
Don’t run away…proceed. Don’t fear…seek. Run toward your God who is faithful and good and hears your prayers. This is the free life. This is the life I never knew I always wanted.
