A lion is a great hunter. It also makes a great roar before attacking its prey. Perhaps the best-known characteristic of the lion, though, is its courage. As in the Wizard of Oz, the characteristic most associated with the lion is its courage.
In our lives there are many situations in which we need to stand tall and have courage. Often times, this means that we need to stand all alone against the crowd. One unknown writer gives us some sound advice about courage when he wrote: “It takes courage to stand up and be counted, but it takes more courage to keep standing up after you have been counted.” Think about that for a minute. Yes, it does take courage to stand tall in the heat of a situation. Much of the time we need the Lord’s courage to stand out in the crowd. But it takes even more courage to keep standing tall after we have made a decision. The first effort takes a short amount of time, where the latter could possibly take much longer.
David wrote many of the Psalms, where he reflected upon his knowledge of God and his personal walk with the Lord. In giving some sound wisdom on the correct way for us to use courage, he writes in Psalm 27:14, “Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” Thus, when we exercise courage, we need to just keep on and on applying courage. Do not apply courage for a short period of time. Put courage into action until you no longer need to do so. And when should you stop being courageous? When the Lord works out your situation. Like David says twice in this verse – wait for the Lord. Since this phrase is repeated twice in the same verse, God is emphasizing that as we apply courage to our lives, we need to wait on Him to resolve the situation.
As we courageously live our lives, we do not just wait and do nothing. We are to courageously live our life and wait for the Lord to remedy the situation. Now, that is how we can be like the lion of God.
