It's about time I shared one of my dreams with you. I had this one the other night, actually, and in it, I got to witness Jesus in a whole new light. I’ve always heard that one of Jesus’s names is THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH (Revelation 5:5), but to actually see it did something to my heart. Have you ever been so in awe of the majesty and kindness of God that it brings you to tears? Such was the case after He revealed to me what kind of defense I have in Him. I pray God personally reveals the same to whoever reads this. The Church needs to learn how to live in awe again, and you do that by beholding Him!
The dream took place during daylight. My mom, a friend, and I walked through a city downtown. We were trying to find a way out, but instead, we crawled deeper into the more dangerous parts of the city. The sidewalk became gravel, and we found ourselves surrounded with tight alleyways and condemned buildings with large groups of men lurking around with their backs turned toward us. There was a sense of uncertainty and danger, but we kept walking, hoping to eventually find a way of escape.
Soon, we found the way out, but this way out carried a lot of risk with it. It was an open square, full of dangerous characters. Not to mention, there was a lion lurking in the middle of it. To cross meant to be caught, and to be caught meant to be hurt, captured, or killed. That was when a different lion walked up next to me. It was three times the size of a normal lion. The top of his back came up to my shoulder, and it was white. His authority was almost tangible without having to say a word, but he promised to protect me as I went, and reminded me that he’s there, even during the times I can’t see him. There was a sense that he, in fact, had always been there, and his words gave me confidence to walk in the middle of danger without fear.
The white lion disappeared around a corner, and I began to walk out into the open square by myself. All heads turned. The lion sitting in the middle of the square whipped his head around and rose up to confront me. I was crossing his territory, and he seemed eager to rip me to pieces for trespassing. He bore his teeth, and I almost became afraid. That was when the white lion appeared out of seemingly nowhere, jumping in front of me to stand between me and this other lion. He was clearly MUCH bigger than the other lion. “He really came for me. He’s protecting me just like he said he would!” I told myself. The white lion released a roar in the face of my enemy, and I watched as the lion that confronted me began to shrivel up to almost nothing. The sheer force of the white lion’s roar knocked the mane off of the other lion. Tufts of hair flew off of his body, and I found that that lion I was afraid of was no lion at all. It turned into what looked like a skinny, small, stray dog with mange. It looked so pathetic that I almost laughed. This shriveled up creature was what I was afraid of? This was the only thing keeping me from escaping? Yet the white lion revealed the enemy for who he truly was: an empty threat. A lion with no mane. A lion pretending to have the power of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
The Word tells us that there are two lions. One is “your enemy, the devil, [who] prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The other is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Jesus of Nazareth. One of the 24 elders approached John in a vision while he was weeping, and told him “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, HAS OVERCOME so as to open the book and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). I can tell you with the utmost confidence, one is far superior to the other, and the superior one is for you, and not against you (Romans 8:31). It’s because of Him that as children of God and followers of Jesus, that “the righteous are as bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1). If Jesus is a lion and we’re being conformed to His image, then the righteous naturally manifest His lion-like attributes, among His other attributes. It’s also because of Him that we can look at trials and danger with the utmost confidence, because we see that He already thoroughly defeated the enemy of our souls by His death and resurrection. He has disarmed all the powers of the enemy over our lives, blowing off the mane of that lion, and, like in the dream, He has even made a public spectacle of him, revealing him as he truly is (Colossians 2:15). It may appear that the enemy has blocked the way of escape—the way of your salvation—but the Lion of the Tribe of Judah IS your salvation, and He tells Isaiah, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rearguard” (Isaiah 58:8).
Before Jesus went back to be with the Father, He left the disciples with this: “Teach them (the future disciples) to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He knew He was sending the disciples into a snake pit. They would be sheep among wolves, and the way would be dangerous. They would live to see incredible things in their lifetime, but they would also face those who sought to take their very lives. If we’re following Jesus with our lives, we can expect the same. The way is risky, but we have the Lion of the Tribe of Judah living on the inside of us who will roar in the face of our already-defeated enemy who still likes to pretend to be God. As He roars at our enemy, we see the enemy for who he truly is, Jesus for who He truly is, and we can see ourselves rightly; in the light of our salvation and not the mirage of the enemies lies.
Below, I’m attaching a worship song that has brought me to my knees time and time again, fittingly called “Defender.” I hope you get the chance to listen to it in the secret place with the Lord and meditate on how far He's brought you and the sum of all His marvelous works!
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