"And there came a lion..." 1 Samuel 17:34

It is such a source of inspiration and strength to all of us to remember how David trusted God. Through his faith in the Lord, he defeated a lion, and a bear..and then went on to defeat the giant Goliath. When that lion came to destroy David's flock, it actually came as a wonderful opportunity for David. If he had faltered, he might have missed what was actually an opportunity for him, sent by God. He could have even missed the opportunity to have been chosen as the next king of Israel.
"And there came a lion..." Normally, we don't think of a lion as some type of special blessing from God. In fact, we would probably think of it as a reason for great alarm. Yet, the lion was God's opportunity in disguise. I wonder sometimes if many of the difficulties that come our way, are actually God's opportunities in disguise. I wonder if how we receive them and how we handle them could actually be a demonstration to someone of the love of Christ. Most of us are so quick to want to be free of any problems. I would put myself at the top of that list...and yet..I look back at my life, and I can see that some of the very difficult things that God has allowed, have actually had purpose.
When a "lion" comes into your life, ask God if this is actually an opportunity..no matter how fierce it may seem outwardly. May the Lord open our eyes to see Him in every situation.