The year was 1898, and for railway workers in East Africa, there was something to be truly feared. From the shadows, they came; dragging workers from their tents at night and devouring them.
Two lions, named the Ghost and the Darkness, stalked the campsites at night. Despite the crew’s best efforts, these man eaters of Tsavo racked up a head count well over 100 men, before finally being killed by Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson.
Patterson, an experienced tiger hunter from his military days in India, wrote these words about the event:
“I have never experienced anything more nerve-shaking than to hear the deep roars of these dreadful monsters growing gradually nearer and nearer, and to know that someone or other of us was doomed before dawn.”

Strangely this may sound a little familiar to us. While likely none of have had to endure a lion attack, there undoubtedly is a ghost in the darkness in our lives.

Maybe you have sensed it lurking, heard the growls, or felt the claws grasping at you. When it comes, you are like one of the railway workers awakened in the middle of the night, to the sound of a lion circling your tent. With each shadow passing, a paralyzed state cripples you to your core, desperate for the intruder to move on; no harm done.
For us who have experienced this, we know that immense heaviness and exhaustion following an encounter just comes with the territory.

There is a deceptive stealth at work that is unlike anything we can fathom. Often unexpectedly, the lion will manifest through common events in our day; first distant on the horizon but before we know it, we quickly feel the warm breath of its snarl on our neck.  If we drop our guard even for a moment, we will be devoured.

1 Peter 5:8-9 reminds us to “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy… He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…”

This is spiritual attack; a conflict that requires a completely different approach than that used against the lions of East Africa.

Spirit can only be defeated by Spirit; and through Spirit alone is our only means of defence. Miss this critical piece of information and you stand no chance.

Men, we must be prepared and aware of our surroundings. We are dealing with a force outside our familiar realm; one that no crafted weapon of man will be effective against.

Remember that bravery is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.

It’s time to be the hunter, not the hunted

Like a hunter regularly cleans and prepares his rifle, we would be wise to do likewise in our hearts.

Our faith must be secured like a firmly placed stock against our shoulder; precision focused like the crosshairs of a scope and razor sharp like the point of a bayonet.

We have those in and around our camp who will rely on our actions to remove the predator and secure the perimeter.

Courage will be an absolute necessity as we stand unyielding in the authority we hold; shining the spotlight of truth into those dark corners to expose the so-called terrifying beast for what it really is…

Likely not the fierce monster you were expecting to find; instead, nothing but just … 

A ghost in the darkness