“What is a lion if I tame it? It does nothing without My will. Everything is in My hands, after all. You need only look to Me!” (Inner Word)
The Holy Scriptures speak of the devil as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and urge us to be vigilant (1 Pet 5:8).
What does this vigilance entail? The last sentence tells us: it is the gaze upon our Father. The enemy wants to distract us from this gaze and fill us with terror, paralyzing us through the dynamics of fear.
From Native American warrior tribes we know the war cry, meant to pierce the enemy to the core in order to paralyze him.
In all the attacks and difficulties we experience on our journey of faith, we are given an invaluable help. We know that everything is under God’s supervision, and even the devil and former high angels who have become demons can do only what God permits. They are all creatures and therefore do not possess divine power or perfection of their own accord.
That is why it is said: What is the lion when God tames him? He is an animal dependent on the Lord! And what is the devil? A spiritual creature who would not exist at all without God, and who was defeated on the cross.
By looking to the Father, we learn to understand the situation from God’s perspective. In this way, our strength grows. Both the power of darkness and all threatening situations are, so to speak, “put down from their thrones” (cf. Luke 1:52), which they would gladly occupy by keeping us captive in fear.
In truth, it is our Father who sits on the throne (cf. Rev 4:2), protecting His own when they look to Him.