Chase the Lion

I finished reading Mark Batterson's In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day last year and have meant to write about it for quite some time. Long title, good book. Really good book. The title of the book stems from a seemingly forgettable verse of scripture:

Another time, on a snowy day, (Benaiah) chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.

2 Samuel 23:20

I first learned of this book, and really this author, in a sermon by Craig Groeschel. He talked about having unstoppable courage like this guy who chased after a lion and killed it. This same guy later went on to be one of the bodyguards of King David. What if your faith had the same audacity as Benaiah? What lion do you need to chase down?

Too often our prayers revolve around asking God to reduce the odds in our lives. We want everything in our favor. But maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions. Maybe faith is trusting God no matter how impossible the odds are. Maybe our situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God's glory.

Most of our problems are not circumstantial. Most of our problems are perceptual. Our biggest problems can be traced back to an inadequate understanding of who God is. Our problems seem really big because our God seems really small. In fact, we reduce God to the size of our biggest problem.

Half of spiritual growth is learning what we don't know. The other half is unlearning what we do know. And it is the failure to unlearn irrational fears and misconceptions that keeps us from becoming who God wants us to be.

I love this book! Even re-reading my highlights in the book makes me want to read the entire thing over again. This book will encourage you to face your darkest fears and pursue them. I would recommend it to anyone facing fear, uncertainty, or a new chapter in their life. I think we all fall into that category at one time or another.

- Andrew

Comments

[Debi Livingston]

Wow....this made me want to read the book! Thanks Andy!