February 20: Psalms 34 7-11

Key Verse: Psalms 34 10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Devotion:
One thing I loved about being brought up in Africa was the opportunities we had to be able to see nature in action on a scale available in only a few countries in the world. The lion is considered to be the king of the jungle (though lives in the bush and not the jungle) because of their position in the food chain. They are considered to be strong and able to take on any other animal to get food – but that is not always true.

Despite there being some animals they will shy away from, they are dependant on the animals they like to eat being available. If the country is in the grips of a drought, their preferred prey may not be available, so they go after something else. But if the drought is severe, they may not have anything they can eat available; they will grow weak and hungry because they have not got food…

For those lions which are kept in game parks or zoos, a ready supply of food is made available to ensure they can continue to thrive. They have a safe haven in which they are not just welcome, but where they do not have to stray from in order to find food enough to eat. Any good zoo or park will make sure the lions still have to work for their food and also have the right food available to them – lions do not choose to be vegetarians and require the right meat to grow strong and keep healthy.

We need the right food in order to keep healthy too; but I am not talking about our diets be they carnivorous, omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan… I am talking about the spiritual food we need in our lives to keep our souls healthy. If we are spoon fed things all our lives, we may well grow weak and lazy; we need to go hunting for our spiritual food so we can keep on form and be able to tell the difference between good input and unrighteous things. Seeking the Lord at all times will keep us in good spirits just as good exercise keeps us physically healthy.

Points to Ponder:
What things do you seek in your life?

Are you focusing on Godly things?