Roar— If You Must

If my soul were worthless,
you would pass me by—
no teeth bared, no roaring,
no fire in your eyes.
You don’t guard empty houses,
or rattle broken doors.
You only raise an army
for what heaven wants restored.
So why the constant warfare,
the pressure, the pursuit?
Why the lies that circle nightly,
trying to loosen truth?
It must be that I matter,
that I’m claimed, not left alone.
That my name is spoken softly
near the mercy seat and throne.
For Christ does not contend for dust,
nor bleed for something small.
He doesn’t crown with purpose
what was meant not to stand tall.
If hell keeps reaching for me,
it’s because I’ve been marked—
a light they want extinguished,
a spark struck in the dark.
So roar if you must, enemy,
show me how afraid you are.
Your fury is my evidence
of who I am, and whose I am.
If my soul were worthless,
you would not know my name.
You wouldn’t stalk my footsteps
or memorize my pain.
You don’t waste breath on nothing,
don’t sharpen claws on air.
You only hunt what’s chosen,
what heaven calls its heir.
You don’t besiege the ruins,
or shout at silent bones.
You roar where life is growing,
where light has found a home.
So why the sleepless nights,
the weight I cannot see?
Why the careful, constant lies
whispered just to me?
Why aim so precisely
at faith instead of flesh?
Why attack the promise
when the wound is still so fresh?
It must be that I matter
more than I’ve understood.
That my life interrupts you,
that my “yes” does some good.
For Christ does not pursue
what was never meant to live.
He doesn’t pay in blood
for a soul with nothing to give.
He doesn’t leave the ninety-nine
for something He won’t keep.
He doesn’t call it treasure
then abandon it to sleep.
If heaven calls me worthy
of such a violent rescue,
then hell’s obsession with me
only proves it’s true.
You circle like a lion,
but lions fear the fire—
the mark of the cross,
the Name you can’t outrun or tire.
You fight because you know
what I could become.
You rage because you’ve seen
what love like His has done.
You remember the day
the stone was rolled away.
You remember the grave
couldn’t make Him stay.
So you scream into my weakness,
hoping I’ll forget
that resurrection power
still answers every breath.
But I am not unguarded,
I am not my own.
I belong to a kingdom
you’ve already lost control of.
So roar if you must, enemy,
make your presence loud.
Your fury is the echo
of a victory already crowned.
Because if you fight this hard for me,
it’s because I’ve been claimed—
loved beyond measure,
redeemed by name.
About the Creator
Hannah Lambert
Hannah Lambert writes from the crossroads of faith, resilience, and lived experience. Her poems offer a soft place for hard truths and a lantern for anyone finding their way home.


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