On a Snowy Day

  There’s a story in the Bible that I think we don’t pay enough attention to.

  First off, it was snowing. 

  I realize that would be enough to keep most of us from going too far. Here in New England, we stocked up on bread and milk days ago and plan on hunkering down until we see pavement again. If I had to guess, I would say it wasn’t that fluffy Narnia snow that floats ethereally down from the atmosphere. I’m talking about the white stuff that has you turning down the radio in the car so you can see better on the drive home. Snow has a way of making things complicated.

  But, as if the snow wasn’t enough, let’s add in a lion and a pit, like in the story found in 

1 Chronicles 11:22.

Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors.  He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.(NIV)

  So you’re probably thinking, I’ve never fought a lion in a pit in a storm.

  Or have you?

  Maybe your pit looks more like the Pit of Despair.  The dirt has been replaced by slick mud.  The climb is made slippery with your tears and disappointment sucks your feet to the bog at the bottom. You struggle to cry out, desperate to clear the muck from your throat that threatens to choke you with every breath. You labor under bags meant to fulfill you but they only weigh you down. The adversary in this pit is there to steal your peace and he’s inching ever closer.

  Perhaps, your pit is a Money Pit. It’s uncomfortable and tight in this bottomless hole, with no breathing room.  There are no rocks to cling to, only overdue notices, bills, and bad decisions line this shaft. It’s cold and dark. Just when it appears that you are making headway, and you can see the exit, the flimsy hand-hold crumbles underneath you and brings you further down.  Your unseen antagonist growls in the darkness, causing anxiety to gnaw at your stomach and your head to pound. The enemy in this pit is there to kill your hope.

  How about a Sarlacc Pit?  The sand in this desert cavern stings, rubbing your skin raw.  It’s irritating, hot, and uncomfortable in this hole, but the worst part is the adversary. This is not your typical CGI monster. It’s very real and the insidious spread of influence this carnivorous beast has wraps around you, squeezes, and pulls you ever deeper.  Its sharp teeth gnash at your defenses. It whispers things about your past, reminding you and confusing you. In its dark eyes are reflected your mistakes and regrets. This foe will destroy your good future, by keeping you tethered to a bad past.

 The Bible warns us about all this in John 10:10,

   The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.(NIV)

And in 1 Peter 5:8 it says, 

 Be alert, be of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (NIV)

 These verses were not just there to highlight how powerfully aggressive and relentlessly stealthy our enemy is. In a verse about the potential for evil in this world, what Jesus can give is in stark contrast to your enemies proposition. Let fear sharpen your awareness. Find comfort and peace in His presence. Acknowledge your need for His help and let Him show you the way.

  Upon closer inspection in the Benaiah story, the text does not specify if he had a weapon. So far, he’s been described as a valiant fighter and doer of great deeds. It seems to me that when there is danger, he is in his element.

  But, maybe that doesn’t describe you. However, you’re not as vulnerable as an ill-equipped mortal jumping into the unknown with a rodent of unusual size. When you make small, consistent steps of faith and obedience, you are not only armed, but protected.

 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  EPH. 6: 10-18 (NIV)

  One final look at Benaiah.  

  He didn’t suddenly find himself in a pit with a lion. He ran to it. He was alert to the battle before him.

                      We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. Hebrews 2:1 (NIV)

  He didn’t just fearfully tip toe around the pit and hope that the ferocious feline might let him pass by unscathed. He went sober minded; calm and self controlled, to the conflict.

Have no fear of sudden disaster

    or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

²⁶ for the Lord will be at your side

    and will keep your foot from being snared.

Proverbs 3:25-26 (NIV)

  Benaiah didn’t wait for the right weather, or a certain set of skills to vanquish his enemy.  He fought with the tools God had given him, fully embracing the abundant life we’ve been promised.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Cor. 9:8 (NIV)

He intentionally ran into trouble, while most of us are spending a lot of time and energy trying to get out of it.

This also wasn’t his first go round in a pit. The Bible tells us in back in Benaiah’s story how he struck down two Moab warriors.

  Ok, so maybe they weren’t exactly in a pit.  But, neither were you.

  Then again, like I said, pits can come in all shapes and sizes.

  Like  when you clutched your peace with a tight fist during that stressful, anxiety filled season full of snakes and desperate pleas to God.

  When you said no to a bad habit, though your flesh was screaming yes, allowing God to shift your feet to stronger foundations with a focus on what you could do now.

  And don’t forget the pit, where God showed up and cultivated a desire to live differently, so you could untangle yourself from the monster of your past sins.

  If you’re keeping track, the account of Benaiah now boasts a victory over two Moab warriors and besting one lion in a pit in inclement weather. King David was clearly impressed with Benaiah’s resume’. This is why he made Benaiah chief of his personal bodyguards.

 To this day people can still read his story.

  And your story?

  God can push you past easy and stretch you toward purpose, not just talking about what matters but enabling you to do something about it.

  God can fill you with a joy and a trust that doesn’t shake when life does, enabling you to learn from your mistakes and open your eyes to the right priorities.

 God can do more with the unwritten pages of your future that you could ever do by rereading the yellowed pages of your past.

  And then, some day, we might say of you, she went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.