BE BOLD—BE STRONG
Sometimes Lions Go Hungry
“The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” -Psalm 34:10

                Sometimes the destruction of war affects things we might never think about. This is what happened a few years ago in Iraq. An enemy named Isis began to take over many major cities in Iraq. They are an evil army that wants to destroy God-fearing people. The small army of Iraq had been trying to fight Isis as well as possible. One city taken over by the enemy was Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. This city was the home of the very popular Montazah Al-Morour Zoo. Because of the fighting in the streets of Mosul, the animals in the zoo were left to die. Neighbors at first tried to feed the animals with food scraps from their homes, but soon it became too dangerous to venture outdoors. Finally the zoo was down to just two surviving animals, Lula the bear and Simba the last of four lions. Both animals were slowly starving to death. Besides, Lula had pneumonia and Simba had failing joints and rotting teeth. Soon word reached some animal rescue teams who attempted to get to the animals. At first they were always turned away at the checkpoint, but eventually they succeeded bringing food and medicine to Lula and Simba. They learned that Simba’s mother died of starvation and was buried next to Simba’s cage. Lula was mother to four bear cubs, but none of them survived the war. The rescue team left four weeks of food and medicine, hoping they would return to pick up the animals and take them to a safe shelter. Finally the day came for the rescue team to transport the two animals to the country of Jordan where the Princess of Jordan placed them in the biggest wildlife shelter in the mid-east. Today the two survivors are safe and well fed.
                Although lions seem like strong and mighty animals, they too can suffer greatly when they do not have food. Like our Scripture verse for today says, “The young lions suffer from want and hunger.” Lions need to eat to stay alive, just as people do. We could not survive if we were not given food to eat.
                Often the Bible compares feeding our bodies to feeding our souls. It tells us that just as our bodies need to be fed regularly, so our souls also need to be fed regularly. We know how to feed the body, but how do we feed the soul? Listen to what God tells us:  “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty” (Jeremiah 15:16). “How sweet are your promises to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Psalm 119:103). He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you." And, “So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth” (Ezekiel 3:3). What do these passages tell us? They say that we should have a steady diet of God’s Word. That way our souls will be well fed. God’s Word will help us become bold and strong.
                Even Jesus spoke of himself as food for our souls. This is what Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). Jesus tells us that if we have a steady diet of him and daily think of the wonderful things he has done for us, our souls will never again be hungry or thirsty. Let’s not allow your souls to starve like our friend Simba. Let’s remember every day to feed our souls with God’s Word, just as we feed our bodies.
 
In Christ,
Mike Allard, Principal @ St. John’s