“…Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” -Deuteronomy 31:7-8
There are times in our lives we fail to claim the kingdom we are heirs of. We sometimes feel distance from God. Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by our own guilt and shame and feel unworthy of what God has promised us. Other times we feel abandoned by God and our circumstances burden us down. But through it all, God promises he will not leave or forsake us.
In the Lion King, Simba forsakes his birthright due to his guilt over the death of his father. He feels alone, abandoned, and unworthy. His own character flaws, magnified by his uncle’s whisperings, render him apathetic to life. He runs from his problems and attempts to forget his past. Simba continues in apathy until he is reminded that his father did not leave him alone. He is alive in Simba.
Simba was not the best choice for the kingship bestowed upon him by his father. He was disobedient and mischievous. He rarely thought of the consequences of his actions. His pride and arrogance placed him and his friends in dangerous situations. Mufasa however, did not reject his son, but continued to mentor his son. He reminded him that kingship was not a title of power, but a responsibility of stewardship.
Like Simba, we are not the best choice for receiving the inheritance of the Kingdom of God, yet it is bestowed upon us anyway.
“…Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” 1 Peter 1:3-4
We have been offered this inheritance of eternal life and the responsibility of stewarding God’s kingdom. But like Simba, we feel unworthy of the life God offers us. Simba felt responsible for his father’s death. Similarly, we bear the burden of fault for the death of Jesus. And just as Scar whispered reminders of Simba’s failings to him, so also Satan whispers reminders in our ears.
When we hear reminders of our faults whispered in our ear, we may react as Simba did. We may run away, afraid of what others may think of us. Afraid we will be exposed as unworthy and undeserving. But these thoughts are once again an extension of our selfish nature. Satan seeks to end our story before its conclusion by focusing all our thoughts on our failings, rather than on what God can do with them.
Satan tells us we should feel guilt, God tells us we should feel conviction. Satan tells us Jesus died because of us, God tells us He died for us. Satan says we are unworthy, God tells us we are redeemed. Satan says we are failures, God says we are overcomers. Satan reminds us we ran away and abandoned our calling. God says I am pursuing you and will never forsake you.
Simba may have felt inadequate to serve as steward to his kingdom; but he was reminded that his father’s spirit resided in him, and he was not alone in facing the insurmountable tasks ahead of him. Likewise we may feel like we do not have the strength to face life’s challenges. We feel God has abandoned us because He does not physically manifest Himself to us. But like Simba, our Father’s Spirit resides in us. He is with us always if we would take the time to look and listen. The Great I AM has given us all we need to reclaim that which Satan has taken from us.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”
John 14:16-17
How do we know God will never forsake us? He has demonstrated his dependency throughout the Bible. He was the one who gave us our life. When we were separated from him because of sin, he died to restore our life. He sent His Spirit to inform our lives. and he is coming again to reestablish our life forever with Him. This is the true circle of life.
God at the Boxoffice 