In Chapter 2 (“The Odd Thing About Odds”) of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson observes that, from a human standpoint, Benaiah’s odds on defeating the lion weren’t good. Scripture is silent on whether or not Benaiah had a weapon, so the encounter most likely was hand-to-paw combat. Furthermore, Benaiah had a definite weight disadvantage, ran much slower, had poor leaping abilities, and no home field advantage.
Yet, Pastor Batterson states, Benaiah faced his challenge head on, defying the odds. He didn’t focus on his disadvantages or make excuses. God was bigger and more powerful than any adversity Benaiah would face. However, the author explains that often we tend to retreat from our problems, praying that God will ease our situation:
“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 impossible situations are opportunities to experience a new dimension of God’s glory.”
Today’s question: Do you tend to think of overcoming your vocation loss in terms of the odds of that happening? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Breaking out of the box”
