So, I've been reading In a pit with a lion on a snowy day by Mark Batterson, the lead pastor at NCC, a pretty successful multisite church in the D.C. area. This book is awesome. It's real. I mean this guy talks about stepping up to your fears, unlearning them. Chasing the lion in your life. It's crazy how this book relates to not only myself, but I'm sure a gazillion others. He writes about being lion chasers like Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. This guy wasn't just a lion chaser. He was a man. A warrior. He faced so many obstacles, so many lions, he never ran. He chased. I mean he killed the Moab's two mightiest men. These guys couldn't have been small. At all. I picture two burly, hairy, mean looking men, possibly missing a few teeth. He also killed a giant. He had a club. A very small weapon compared to the giant and his massive spear. It says he ripped the spear from his hand and killed him with it. I don't personally know anyone who can do that. Let alone this last one. One day, Benaiah decided to chase a lion. Yeah, a 500 pound piece of meat, with sharp claws and sharper teeth. He decided to chase the lion into a pit. I forgot to mention it was snowing. Still, he jumped into the pit and faced his lion. I wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that. Maybe that's why he became the Commander in Chief over Israel, not me.. Point being this guy was insane. In a good way, of course. He wasn't afraid. He didn't have fear. Because he knew one person had his back the entire time. He had total faith and completely trusted Him with his life. This guy, was God. Benaiah wasn't scared because he had faith and trust in God. He knew no matter what, he could chase those lions, unlearn those fears and he wouldn't have to play it safe because God had his back.
In the book, Mark says "God is in the business of.." quite a bit. Personally, I can't picture God as a business man. I don't think he has a closet full of fancy Italian made suits. A drawer full of long gross colored socks. I don't picture him walking through Heaven all spruced up carrying a black, leather briefcase. But, maybe He does dress up sometimes, on important occasions. I'll find out one day. But, Mark has a point. God is in the business of a lot of things. In fact, He's in the business of everything, everywhere. No matter what it is, God has a part in it being there. That blows my mind. Like completely and totally BLOWS MY MIND. How can one man do all this. Because, He isn't a man. He's much better than man. He created man. He is wayy better than anyone on Earth can dream of. Like, imagine THE perfect person. I picture Jesus. 33 years of no sin and then He dies for our sin, so our lives can go on. Well, Jesus is God's son. So God is like Jesus times infinity. That's why He can do all this. Be all over.
One of the chapters in this book talks about how playing it safe, is risky. He gives examples of people who risk it all, sacrifice everything. Job security, financial security, life dreams. EVERYTHING. Just to chase their lions. Abraham did it. Nehemiah did it. Benaiah did it. So, why is it so hard for us to do it? Because these people that I mentioned have complete faith in God. They trust God with their lives. They give up control. It takes two to tango, but only one person needs to lead. They realized that God needs to lead their lives, not themselves. These people, the ones who let God control it all. They know He knows what's best for them, He knows where they need to be. They make that sacrifice. They risk it all because they know God has control and He knows what is needed. We need to realize that. That God controls everything around us, the weather, the vegetation, what goes where and when it falls over. So, why not just let Him control us. He will take us to our lions, some of us may already be there. All we have to do is chase them. Let Him lead the tango.
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