Head Scratcher — Benaiah - Tuseday
Today’s Verse
1 Chronicles 11:22b
Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. (NLT)
Ever feel like your hardest battles show up at the worst possible time?
That’s what makes this one-liner about Benaiah so fascinating. Casually dropping a scene that feels more like an action movie than a Bible verse: “Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it” (1 Chronicles 11:22).
That one sentence raises all kinds of questions, right?
Why was there a lion?
Why would anyone chase it into a pit?
And why was he doing this in the snow?
I know it’s July, but today, I want you to think about snow. Close your eyes and put yourself in the middle of winter on a cold, snowy day. The roads have shut down. Schools are closed. The temperature is well below freezing, and it gets dark at 5pm.
How do you feel? Do you feel energized? Ready to take on whatever comes your way? Or is your warm, cozy couch calling your name, “Just stay home and do nothing!”?
And yet, that’s when the lion came.
I doubt Benaiah felt ready. I doubt he looked at the snow and thought, “Perfect day for lion hunting.” The snowy day reminds us: your courage won't always be called upon when you're comfortable or ready.
That’s why Benaiah’s story might be more relatable than it seems. True, most of us won’t fight literal lions, but we will face surprise attacks from fear, temptation, grief, or anxiety. And often, those battles show up precisely when we feel the least prepared. We’re tired. Overwhelmed. Stretched thin. Spiritually dry. These are not ideal conditions.
But here’s the truth: Both challenges and opportunities often show up in inconvenient, unexpected places. God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions to build courage in you. And He doesn’t need perfect conditions to work through you. Sometimes it’s the snow-covered, lion-filled pits that forge the kind of courage you never knew you had.
REFLECTION
What’s your “pit on a snowy day” right now? Are you waiting for perfect conditions or until the weather clears to act in faith? Ask God for the courage to face it today.
