Walking with Jesus – The Lion of Judah | Andy Elmes
Walking with Jesus – The Lion of Judah. Pastor Andy shares today from lessons, experiences and thoughts from his recent missionary trip to Zambia where he walked with lions!
Before you walk with lions you need to be a member of their pack. This means going behind them and submitting to their pace. Also, letting them let them know you are there. In Daniel Chapter 6 there was a scary moment for Daniel in the pit with lions - but he knew the greater one the creator who made him was with him. Andy became conscious of the majesty of the lions when walking with them. Jesus is the Lion of Judah but also the Lamb of God. In Revelation 5:5 scripture speaks of “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed….” then in verse 6, reference to the Lamb who was slain.
We need to know that Jesus is both the lion and the lamb. Seeing Jesus as a lamb is vitally important but we need to be able to relate to him as the Lion of Judah. Both these descriptions fully relate to Him. Proverbs 30:29 speaks of the Lion being majestic in pace and mighty among beasts.
When it comes to walking with Jesus, we also need to avoid familiarity, keeping an awe of God in our hearts. When walking with a lion it’s important not to touch its head or mane as this represents its authority. So even though we are heirs to the throne and can walk in friendship we should never be over familiar with The Lord. We need to walk with a healthy honour and respect in our lives for Jesus, carrying reverence in our hearts.
Additionally we need to walk in step behind Jesus, as you would do if walking with lions. We are followers of Jesus, as a follower we do not push in front. However, as followers, we also do not shrink back! If we shrink back and don’t keep being part of the pack, we lose our safety from being with the mighty lion of Judah.
Galatians 5:25 (NIV) tells us “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. If we do this no matter what storms come along we have safety and victory in our lives.
