When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again. 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. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 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?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. 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. Numbers 22;23-31 NIV
You are such a good, good Father. You discipline but only in love as You know what is best for me. Rid me, Lord, of my stubbornness when I continue to persist in the same detours from Your will. Show me where you are driving me back to the road when I am blind to it.
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:1,4-5 NIV
I acknowledge my need for You today, Lord. You are necessary for life and even more for life to the full. There is a God-shaped hole in my heart that can only be filled by You. I seek it in temporal things, again detours from where I should be, but you guide me back and renew in my heart the refreshment that comes only from You. I come to the fountain of Your goodness today. Fill me.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:6-9
There is a peace available only in You that this world does not understand, it cannot comprehend. That is what I need right now. While danger surrounds me, indecision, turmoil and anxiety, surround me and the world convinces so many that peace is not achievable. In You, it is. Knowledge of You brings that peace and I enter into it. Wrap me in Your loving arms so that I can tangibly feel that peace that only you can give.
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. James 5:13-18 NIV
There is no limit to the numbers of times You answer my plea, Lord. Your love and generosity has no bounds. I place to many others, the prophets, others I know, on pedestals. it is so easy to compare and have discouragement in my own walk but You are faithful.
Lord, bring me back to Yourself today. Wrap me in Your arms of love. As a good good Father, guide the decisions I make today to be what is best, whether I know it or not. I love you and enter into Your peace. Amen.
Sixty-six books in a year 