I faced off with a Lion in Uganda – here’s what it taught me about God

I recently found myself gazing straight into the eyes of a lion. Not through a television screen, not from the safety of a safari jeep, but less than two metres away, heart thumping, breath caught somewhere between awe and disbelief.

I was visiting the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre as an ambassador for the charity Teams4U. The centre rescues animals intercepted at the airport, rehabilitates the injured and works tirelessly to preserve Uganda’s extraordinary wildlife. It is a place of restoration and second chances. I expected to be moved. I did not expect to lock eyes with the king of the jungle. 

As a child raised on nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough and stories like The Lion King, lions had always lived in that magical space between storybook and screen. Majestic. Fierce. Noble. Yet here he was, very real, very present.

The guide took us behind the scenes to where two male lions rested in the shade. One of them, named Africa, lay watching us. His companion stretched, yawned and settled back to sleep. Africa did not move. He simply stared. His eyes were vast and self-assured. He blinked slowly, deliberately. He had nothing to prove.

I knew, of course, that a thick barrier stood between us. I knew he had never tasted human prey. I knew I was safe. And yet, as I stood there, a question hit me. How must Daniel have felt? 

In Daniel 6, he is thrown into a den of lions because he refuses to stop praying to God. King Darius, manipulated into signing a law that forbids prayer to anyone but himself, sends Daniel to what seems like a certain death. Yet as Daniel is led away, the king says, “May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you.” Even the king senses that there is someone greater than himself!

That line has always intrigued me. Darius, who demanded worship, still hopes in a higher power. And when he cannot sleep, when guilt and fear disturb his night, he runs to the den at dawn. “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God rescued you?” The relief when Daniel answers must have been overwhelming.

Standing before Africa, I saw strength contained. Power restrained. Then, as a colleague stepped closer to the enclosure, Africa’s brow flickered. He blinked differently. A low rumble roar emerged, not deafening, just enough to say, ‘I am still king’. I later learned his full roar can be heard up to eight miles away. I’m grateful he kept that to himself! 

Daniel did not stop praying when prayer became risky. He trusted that obedience mattered more than outcome

Daniel did not have a cage between him and the lions. The same creatures that later devoured his accusers did not so much as scratch him. The difference was not in the lions. It was in the presence of God.

I may never be thrown into a literal den, but I now know what it is to face lions. Health concerns. Financial pressures. Questions about the future. Watching my daughter head off to school and wondering what unseen challenges await her. Career uncertainties for our family. Each one can roar loudly.

Yet as I looked into Africa’s steady eyes, I felt an unexpected peace. Not because lions are tame, but because God is faithful. Daniel did not stop praying when prayer became risky. He trusted that obedience mattered more than outcome. 

The lesson for me was simple and profound. The lions may still prowl, but our God still rescues. And when we remain faithful, those watching, may glimpse just how powerful and good He truly is.