I've had many bear encounters. When you grow up in a place like Bella Coola (aka Grizzly Capital of the World) it's par for the course. Yet, last summer’s face-off transcended anything I'd experienced before.
I was jogging about a kilometre from our cabin when suddenly a big ol' grizzly bear bursts out of some shrubbery about 10 metres in front of me. We both skid to a halt and experience about one minute of face to face fellowship. Trust me, 60 seconds felt like an eternity. I would walk backward slowly, the bear would bluff-charge, I'd push back, and we'd repeat that cycle 3-4 times. At one point it stood, towering over me by at least a foot. I imagined Sara finding a mauled Tony.
I finally made a definitive move to get behind the cover of a nearby tree, only to provoke a full-on charge. Swinging my arms to appear bigger than life, I gave the loudest Braveheart screech (Sara, who was at the cabin, said she heard a bird-like sound, egads) I could muster. At last, the bear turned tail and disappeared into the forest. My mom - who intercedes for her boys all the time - swears that my guardian angel was involved.
Be very wise, careful, and observant. Your adversary is like a prowling grizzly looking to devour a napping, passive, quiet-as-a-mouse, lonely jogger. He's looking for a quick, easy meal. When you face him, don't back down! ~ 1 Peter 5:8-9 TT (Tony's Translation)
I can't help but see this experience through the lens of spiritual warfare. I have an adversary that Scripture calls a "roaring lion seeking someone to devour." If you're one of the people described in Revelation 12:17 - "those who keep God’s commands and hold fast to their testimony about Jesus" - you're in the same boat as me. You have a struggle, and it's not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:10ff).
There are some very interesting parallels in this encounter. Let's unpack them.
I shouldn't have even seen the bear. Two mistakes: I was way too quiet and I was alone. The soft pitter-patter of my 180bpm jogging cadence was not enough to assert my presence, by a long shot. Make some noise. Let the enemy know you're there. Don't hide. Reality check: you can't hide from a bear - its senses are far superior to yours, especially smell. If he wants to find you, he will. But here's the truth: he's more afraid of you (by far) than you are of him. It's the same with our True Adversary. If you're filled with the Holy Spirit, this is a fact: greater is he that is in you (by far). If the bear would have heard me, statistics are clear - he would have avoided a rendezvous, at all costs. I surprised him, that was the issue.
And I should have had companions. Even a dog. But it's just little old me, quiet and alone. Sounds like a lot of Christians. Fact: where two or three are gathered (sounds familiar), the chances of a dangerous encounter plummet to near-zero percent. There are virtually no fatalities from bear attacks when people move in groups. So don't be a lone-ranger in your faith. Lone-ranger Christians often become MIA Christians.
But I'm alive and whole today because I did everything right at the point of encountering my enemy. I actually love bears, so hesitate to call them enemies, but you get the point.
First, and by far the most important: I stood my ground. You ever wonder why Paul says the same repeatedly in THE cardinal passage on spiritual warfare, Ephesians 6:10-20? "Be strong," "take your stand," "stand your ground," "after you have done everything, to stand," and "stand firm then." He's making a crucial and critical point. You start running when you're facing an enemy of any kind, and they'll give chase. Further, with your back turned all of your armor is rendered useless (notably, nothing in Ephesians 6 covers the backside). Every time I entered retreat mode, he came at me. Every time. My takeaway: when the enemy comes against you, speaks lies, makes you want to run from the call of God, go the opposite direction, quit, give up, hide...standing your ground at that point may be do-or-die.
Hey, baby, there ain't no easy way out (I won't back down) Hey, I will stand my ground And I won't back down ~ Won't Back Down (Tom Petty)
And I finally got loud. Really loud. Actually, I made myself as big, tall, and threatening as I could. I even feinted a charge toward bear at one point. He froze in confusion - who is this crazy human?! At one point I thought he might try to climb a tree.
Sing. Pray. Worship. Praise. Shout. Make some noise. And stand firm. Not cowering in fear. Stand tall, be strong, BE the man/woman God has called you to be, exert your authority, push away fear (Isaiah 43:1-3).
Be strong and courageous...be strong and very courageous...Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Excerpted from Joshua 1:6-9 (italics mine)
Live to die another day.
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