“He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.” (Isaiah 30:21)
There is a story about a man named Balaam in the Bible from Numbers 22-24. In it, is a thought-provoking scene for us to ponder when we find ourselves a victim of the proverbial monkey-wrench thrown into our plans.
For Balaam, his monkey-wrench was a donkey — a talking donkey.
Balaam was known as a prophet with a wicked heart. He was asked by Balak, the king of Moab to curse the Israelites but was prohibited by God to carry out this evil plan. God used him to speak several blessings over Israel instead which led Balak to offer him a great reward to send a curse. Balaam was willing but could only do what God commanded. However, later Balaam devised a plan to get his reward from Balak. He suggested his men entice Israel to sin through sexual immorality and idol worship. The bad counsel was pursued, and Israel fell for the bait resulting in their own demise. Jesus spoke a somber warning to the church regarding this event in Revelation 2:14.
At one point in this remarkable testimony, we are told that Balaam had an encounter with an angel while on his way to Moab. His donkey suddenly stopped and would not move which enraged Balaam and he began to beat it. He had no idea that his donkey was saving his life with a divine detour.
It was then God opened the mouth of the donkey to speak. We can read this account in Numbers 22:28-33:
“Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.
“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded.
“Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”
There are going to be times when God divinely detours your plans turning your world upside down. Always reach out to the Father for insight and pray for Holy Spirit to counsel you. Discernment can only be obtained through an intimate fellowship with the Lord. Jesus said His followers known His Voice. Beloved, you can hear from God, but you need to know Him before you can know the sound of His Voice. (John 10:27-28)
In Balaam’s case, if he was walking with God his ears and eyes would have been opened to see the angel ahead. It was God saying, “Go back, you are headed in the wrong direction.” If he was fully surrendered and obedient to God’s Will, he would have sensed the warning. But instead, God had to use a donkey to get him to see the truth!
Long story short — if your family pet is not around to speak Truth into your next derailed plan; get with God to find out if it was a divine detour sent to save you from destruction.
Let’s have a conversation with the Lord:
Father God, I recognize now I was trying to navigate my life without the help of your Spirit. I know He is all truth, and He was sent by Jesus to help me. Jesus, I receive you into my life and confess I have not been walking rightly with you. Holy Spirit, I ask you now to open my ears to hear you and my eyes to behold you. Reveal yourself to me and remove all obstacles that would separate me from such a blessed friendship. I love you and I want to be in a relationship with you. Thank you for being my teacher, guide, counselor, advocate, and intercessor. You are the Power from within the Father and Jesus. You are their Spirit, and you dwell in the heart of every Believer longing to reveal yourself deeper within us. I ask you now to show me your glorious power indwelled within me. Guide me this day as to the direction I should go. In Jesus Name, I pray. Amen.
“You are God’s girl and He loves you! You sprinkle His seeds of love wherever you go!” Those words were spoken to me by my husband Joe many years ago. They came at a time when I was questioning my self-worth in God’s Kingdom, purposes, and plans. The Father made sure that in my darkest spiritual hour, I heard His Truth about my identity and self-worth. It has been my passion ever since to deliver that same message to any who may need to hear it. It is not about who we are, but Whose we are, and I am God’s girl!
