Proverbs 20:2 (NLT)
“The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar; to rouse his anger is to risk your life.”

Respect the Roar

This is a direct warning: Do not agitate those who hold the power of your peace or your position. The proverb compares a leader’s fury to a lion’s roar. In the wild, a roar isn’t just a sound; it’s a signal that life is at stake.
I recall a story of a couple at a wildlife resort in Uganda. The guide spent all day assuring them the fences were strong enough to keep the lions out. But the moment a lion roared nearby, the wife started packing her things. She asked the most important question of the day: “Do the lions know they are supposed to stay out?” In life, people have “fences” of patience and “walls” of professionalism, but when the “lion” in them starts to roar, the fences no longer matter. To rouse or stir that kind of anger is to risk your progress, your relationships, and your reputation.

The Practice

Navigating the Emotional Wild

1. Read the Room
There is a time to make your point and a time to let the point go. You must know the difference. Your point may be 100% valid, but if the timing is wrong, the validity won’t save you. Ask yourself: Is making my case right now worth the potential explosion? Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is stay silent until the atmosphere changes.
2. Watch the Thermostat
Be attentive to rising temperatures and emotional landmines. It is incredibly easy to step on a sensitive area without realizing it—and just as easy to respond out of your own exploding emotions. If you feel the temperature rising, back off. Wait for a “cool down” period before returning to the matter. In a marriage, the husband may be the head, but even a lion has enough sense not to agitate the lioness in the house!
3. Prioritize Connection Over Correction
Keep the main thing the main thing. Your goal is to communicate, not just to be right. If your audience—whether it’s a King, a spouse, a sibling, or a co-worker—has stopped hearing you, then you are no longer communicating. At that moment, it doesn’t matter how “right” you are; you’ve lost the connection. To continue pushing is to rouse the lion for no reason.

Today’s Declaration

“I will be sensitive to the ‘roar’ in my environment. I choose to prioritize communication over being right, and I will not let my ego rouse a lion that I don’t want to fight. I ask the Holy Spirit for the discernment to know when to speak and the wisdom to know when to back off.”

Being right at the wrong time is just another way of being wrong. Today is a great day to make a Fresh Start!
God bless,
+Pastor Kris