We have a collection of “barn cats” at our house. We’ve had as many as fifteen and as few as three. Right now, we have about six. We feed them a little bit, but not too much. We feed them so they’ll hang around, but they have a job to do, which is keep the mice and snakes away from us. And they do a pretty good job of it. In the years we have been in our home, we have not had any issues with either of those pests.

These cats are not tame, so they don’t let us get too close to them. But I like to sit and watch them sometimes. It is especially fun when they are stalking something. They will crouch down and either hold still or slowly inch their way toward their prey until all at once…POW! They pounce on whatever it was they had in their sights. As often as not their prey is caught, unaware too late of the peril.

I think of that when I read the words of today’s passage.

1 Peter 5:8-11 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Be on guard, watch out, stay alert. The devil is always prowling around you, looking for the chance to attack. Daily. You let your guard down at your own peril.

These words were written by a man who knew the danger. He had been with Jesus in Gethsemane. Jesus asked him to watch and pray, but he fell asleep.  Jesus warned Peter and the sons of Zebedee: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Even with that warning, they fell asleep again – twice – while Jesus was going through His agonizing time of prayer.

This warning is for your own good, your protection. If you are faithful in prayer and watchful with God’s Word filling you, you will be prepared to resist the temptations that come.

Even when we falter and slip and fall, for Jesus’ sake we have the assurance that “the God of all grace … will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.