1 Chronicles 11:20-25: in context

Among the exploits of David's warriors, the Chronicler tells of Benaiah, a valiant man who did great deeds. He struck down fierce opponents; he killed an Egyptian of great stature, wresting the spear from his hand; and, memorably, he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion there. For his courage he was honored, given a name among David's warriors, and set by David over his guard. He was a man who went toward danger rather than away from it, meeting it head-on even in the worst conditions.

The image of Benaiah going down into a pit on a snowy day to face a lion captures a courage worth learning. Everything about the circumstances was against him: a lion, cornered and dangerous; a pit, closed and inescapable; a snowy day, cold and treacherous underfoot. It was the kind of danger most would flee, in conditions that made it worse. And Benaiah went down to meet it, facing the hard and dangerous thing head-on rather than avoiding it, and prevailing. His courage did not wait for favorable conditions or an easy fight; it went toward the danger even at its worst. There is something here for the hard and daunting things we face. Our instinct, before a difficult or frightening challenge, is often to avoid it, to put it off, to wait for better conditions, to flee the pit rather than go down into it. Benaiah shows a different way: to face the hard thing directly, to go down to meet it even when the conditions are against us, rather than fleeing or delaying. Not every challenge is a lion in a pit, but each of us faces hard things we would rather avoid, daunting tasks, frightening situations, difficulties we keep putting off; and there is a courage that goes toward them and meets them head-on. This courage is not mere natural boldness but is nourished by God's presence and help. Be strong and courageous, God tells Joshua; do not be afraid, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. The courage to face the hard thing rests on the assurance that God goes with us into the pit. God has not given us a spirit of fear, Paul says, but of power and love and self-control. And faithfulness in facing the hard things is honored: Benaiah's courage won him a name and a place of trust. This encourages us to face rather than flee the daunting things before us. Like Benaiah going down into the pit on a snowy day, we are called to meet the hard and frightening things head-on, not waiting for easy conditions or avoiding the difficulty, but going toward it in the strength God supplies, trusting that he goes with us into the pit.

When I face a hard or frightening challenge, do I avoid it, put it off, or wait for easier conditions, fleeing the pit rather than going down into it, and can Benaiah's courage in facing the lion in a pit on a snowy day call me to meet the daunting things head-on in the strength God supplies, trusting that he who gives a spirit not of fear but of power goes with me into the hard thing?