Listen to Your Donkey!

Have you ever been in a hurry and got stuck in traffic any way? Have you ever stubbed your toe and didn’t know why? Have you ever had any really good plans, but for whatever reason, they just didn’t materialize? If ever any of these things (or things like it) has ever happened to you, maybe you should just listen to your donkey! After reading the story of the talking donkey and Balaam (her rider) I had the following thoughts that I share today.

 

We read where the donkey made three stops. Let’s look at each of those three stops.

 

Stop #1, the donkey went into a field. There was no pain here, just a simple diversion away from his plans. But she was in fact saving Balaam’s life. For Balaam, this was merely an inconvenience. Now, think about this, you are on your way out the door and the phone rings. You know if you answer it, you will miss out or at least be late for whatever it is that you are going to do…..but you answer it anyway, and you miss your appointment. This most likely is just an inconvenience, right?  This may be God’s way of causing you to miss something that could have happened to you that was waiting just around the corner. One time Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked to sift him like wheat but Jesus had prayed for him and he would be ok. If you are in Christ, you are in God’s hands and we never know when Satan is trying to sift us, but because of the intercession of Christ on our behalf, our Donkey may go into the field and thus avert disaster.

 

Stop #2, the donkey crushed his foot. Balaam ignored the first warning and this one was painful. Again, the donkey knew something that Balaam did not. For you and me, this may happen when your doctor tells you not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk….and you, knowing better than the doctor, lift a box or bag full of something heavier than a gallon of milk….and what Happens? (AAAAHH My Back!) It may not be your back, but each of us has a pain or two that prevents us from doing certain things or causes us to do other things at certain times. Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” for which he asked God three times to remove from his life. Three times God said, “No, my Grace is sufficient”. It was left there to keep Brother Paul humble. These aches and pains in our lives that prevent us from doing certain things or cause us to do other things, may well be for our benefit so that we may know that God’s Grace is sufficient. These keep us humble and dependent upon God.

 

Stop #3, the donkey laid down. Balaam ignored the first warning and was quickly back on the road. His second warning was painful but he still didn’t get it. Then came the third warning and his life came to a screeching halt! The Donkey laid down. Again the donkey and the stop was a means of grace for Balaam but rather than trust the donkey, he beat it with a rod.  Has your life ever come to a screeching Halt? One day the disciples were having Passover Supper with their mentor and teacher. The next day, they were watching him die on a criminals cross. Their lives had just come to a screeching halt. Why? It happened because three days later, they no longer knew Jesus as their teacher and leader, but as their risen Savior and Lord. Why does our life come to a screeching halt sometimes? Maybe it’s because in just a short while, God will prove himself to those who believe in Him all over again.

 

The circumstances of life sometimes inconvenience us, hurt us or even make life crash in all around us. We spend so much time beating our donkey for not doing what we want it to do, when we should be listening to it. What is life telling you right now? What is the Donkey in your life? Could it be that your latest inconvenience, hurt or tragic loss is actually saving your life? The key is to peace in any situation is to always trust in the fact that God has our best in mind, even if it huts for a while. Balaam eventually found out why his donkey was so stubborn. Three times the donkey saved his life. Someday, you will also know the “why” of what is going on right now. Trust God and listen to your donkey.