Observation: When the angel of the Lord blocks Baalam and his donkey a third time, he presents himself and says these things to him. He is there to stop and kill Baalam, because Baalam's decision to go curse Israel is evil.
However, before this episode with the talking donkey occurs, Baalam had sought the Lord's guidance about going to curse Israel, and was allowed to proceed. Even now Baalam says he won't go, and the angel tells Baalam to proceed. The Lord is allowing Baalam to proceed with an action he deems evil because he will use it for good. It is true Baalam may not have had the ability or inclination to do what was right or was God's intended work on his own ... he certainly was proceeding to meeting King Balak because he wanted the reward ... but they Lord is going to use that to bless Israel and ensure Moab understands they have no chance of stopping Israel.
Application: As I was thinking yesterday, the Lord can and does absolutely use our evil human actions for his good. He can turn any situation into a chance to honor and glorify him.
I don't know the circumstances of the people at our church I am thinking about, but I know the Lord is doing a miraculous work through what might be a painful - some might say, evil - situation. I see it, as do others. I hope they will, too.
Prayer: Lord, I pray for your will. Yes, you are a God of miracles, and I see your miracle at work in this situation. You are doing something no one could have considered possible, by using an old pain for your purposes. Praise be to you, our Lord and our God. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment