The Mountain Lion on the Trail

In 2004, ranger Jim Hamm was hiking with his wife near Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in Northern California when a mountain lion attacked. Every survival instinct screamed at them to run. But running from a mountain lion is the worst thing you can do. Flight triggers the predator's chase instinct, and a cougar can cover forty feet in a single bound. Instead, Nell Hamm stood her ground. She made herself large, shouted, and fought back with a branch until the animal released her husband and retreated into the trees.

Wildlife biologists have documented this pattern repeatedly. Mountain lions are ambush predators that depend on the element of surprise and the panic of their prey. When a person stands firm, faces the threat directly, and refuses to flee, the lion almost always backs down. The confrontation it expected to dominate suddenly costs more than it is worth.

James understood something about the nature of spiritual predation when he wrote, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." Notice the order. First, we plant ourselves under God's authority — like a hiker grounding her feet on solid rock. Then, from that position of strength, we turn and face the threat. The enemy prowls and probes, looking for someone running scared. But a soul anchored in the Almighty, standing firm and refusing to break — that is a target not worth pursuing. The devil, like the lion, will turn and disappear into the shadows.