The Talking Donkey..Yes, We WIll Go With That

We are moving from the Book of Exodus to the Book of Numbers now.  This week we meet the Talking Ass.  Most times when I post these things, I feel like one.  But let’s just focus on the Biblical character.  It can be found in Numbers 22:22-35.  Take some time to read it now.  It makes a great story!

In this section of Numbers, we see that God can truly use anyone, even an ass.  This is very good news for me.  How about you?

In the story we see some people (namely Balaam) can be closed off to God.  They can’t see what is directly in front of them.  But the ass saw and responded.  That is really all God asks of us.

So, then what gets in our way?  The donkey wasn’t hung up on being an ass.  She got over it and stood up to her master.  Often times, we do not.  We don’t because we feel like an ass, we feel inferior.  That is the issue the donkey didn’t have but we do.

The dictionary describes being inferior as “of low rank, of poor quality, of little or less importance, value or merit; situated below another, second-class, second-rate, average, common, defective, inadequate, insufficient.”

The donkey in this story was certainly situated below another, yet she didn’t allow that to define her.  Too many of us allow our feelings of inadequacy take us out of the game.

God says in Numbers 22:33, “I would have killed you; her I would have spared.”  The donkey, the second-class animal, was the savior in this story.

This really hits home with me, given what I’ve chosen to do.  When I write about Scripture or give presentations, I often think of my friend, the Talking Ass.  I think it represents what God seeks to do through me and you.  I am certainly inadequate to deliver His message.  Yet, if it needs to be said, I hope I can be used to do it.

This week think of the ways you feel inferior and remember the Talking Ass.  Remember God can use anyone.  It is often in our weaknesses where we find Him.  Open your mouth and let God use you.  You won’t be an ass, you will be something greater than you ever thought you’d be.

Ask yourself:

Do I allow my inadequacies define me?

Do I feel inferior to others?

Do I allow God to use me, even in my areas of weakness?

What can I do today to show that I am not inferior