21 So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. 27 This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.
28 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.
29 “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 “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.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lordstanding in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.
32 “Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lorddemanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. 33 Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”
34 Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”
Numbers 22:21-34 NLT
I wonder how many times I have blamed my roadblock on something that wasn't to blame. Like Balaam, have I ever wanted something so bad that I missed God's sign to stop me? Have I blamed my "donkey" for stopping me from going somewhere or doing something I thought I was supposed to do, when all along it was God telling me not to go farther? Many times we want to blame the people involved, the world around us or nature when it is really God telling us to stop. And when we do get interrupted we aren't happy about it. We want to get angry at anyone or anything, or find our answer anywhere, and we refuse to ask God what He wants. Sometimes what God wants for us initially changes, not because He changed His mind but because it was His plan from the beginning and when we run into this we are caught way off guard, sometimes in denial. I don't know if or where you fit into this description but it is important to stay connected and talk to God on your journey. Keep communication open and stay in God's word so that you will know which way He is leading you and whether or not He is the one standing in your way.
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