“Sometimes We Need to be Stopped in Our Tracks”

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Numbers 22:26-28 NIV

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

³² The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. Numbers 22:31-32 NIV

I remember coming across this lesson in the Bible and thinking to myself, “I would not want to be so far gone on my own that GOD would resort to letting a donkey speak to me!”

Please take the time today to review it in Numbers the twenty-second chapter. It just might put a smile on your face and put your focus back on track.

If you’re like me, you can get so hyper-focused and on hot pursuit to accomplish a task or project that you miss the subtle hints from the Holy Spirit to hit the pause button. Determined and persistent, you forge ahead mistakenly under the ‘assumption’ that delays are mere speed bumps or low level hurdles to overcome. I’ve heard some dismiss the clues as ‘spiritual resistance’ or arrows from the enemy. While that might be the case in some instances, that’s not always the truth in all matters.

Balaam had a target goal in mind, and nothing was going to stop him. His poor donkey took the brunt and beating for Balaam’s stubborn behavior and ultimately was used by the Lord to grab his attention. And what we find here is the patience and loving protection of GOD.

Is there something on your agenda that is causing you to plow through everything (and possibly everyone) at all costs? This just might be a saving grace moment, Friend. It could be your defining moment with the Lord to realign yourself with His Will. Be fully aware: it may not look anything like you thought it would. Surrender is like that – trusting that what you don’t control is still going to be for your best. GOD is like that.

I’m sure you’ve had your encounters with people who were so determined to cause something to happen or see an idea come to fruition that they just created a whirlwind of events and didn’t think anything about the debris left behind. They didn’t even realize you were sitting there amidst the strewn shrapnel, bruised from being ‘hit’ and trying to gather some remnants of sanity. No sooner said, they were on to the next big thing …

Or is it possible that you (or I) are at the helm of the chaos-making and GOD is getting the next ‘donkey’ ready to saddle up beneath us to teach us a lesson or two? Something to consider, isn’t it?

In the age of technological advancement, the speed at which we can be creating and spinning and twirling our ideas is incredible. We think it, draft it up in minutes and within a couple hours, voila! Presentation materials that used to take days to draft are artwork worthy for publishing and distribution. Video and audio recordings no longer leave the cuttings on the floor and certainly don’t demand time consuming edits. However, at closer inspection, did we cut any corners that may have cut into other people’s contributions, feedback, actual work … and possibly cut into their feelings … because we were so determined to ‘get it done’ (our way)?

Was the real goal to do what GOD wanted done – His way? Or, was it to impress others by projecting a particular image – for the sake of winning ‘approval’ of others? Let that sit with you for a bit.

All this to say that divine delays are not always just to make for a better outcome – for the sake of the outcome. There’s a very real possibility that we may need to check our hearts to see if we’re truly honoring GOD – His way.

If you’re thinking that this quick read wasn’t for you today, then you could be looking at mounting the donkey that awaits you.

I love you to Heaven and Back, Girlfriend ~

LindaRJohnson, TitusTwo Visionary