Get On Board

Veronica Burlock, Worship Pastor, Wheaton | January 16, 2024

And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times if she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”
Numbers 22: 30-33


This story has a lot going on, including a talking donkey! Yep, you read that right, a talking donkey. Balaam was pressured by the king to come and speak a curse over the Israelites. The only problem was that the Israelites were God’s chosen people, blessed people (Gen. 12), and God forbade Balaam to curse them. So, Balaam agreed to meet with the king but only to say the words God put in his mouth (Num. 22:38). Balaam didn’t have the purest intentions even though he did speak what God told him to say. While on his way to the king, God revealed himself to Balaam’s donkey and filled its mouth with words, and it spoke!

When God reveals his will, it is best to get on board with it. It is by God’s kindness and love that he lets us in on His plan. It’s a gift that He even uses us because He doesn’t actually need us to accomplish His will. Even if what He reveals doesn’t make sense to you at the time, just get on board. Even if you don’t necessarily like what He reveals to you, get on board. Even if what He reveals to you doesn’t make sense, get on board. 

Get on board because He knows you better than you know yourself (psalms 139). He knows what you were created to do because He is Elohim, the all-powerful creator, and He created you. 

I’m reminded of another story in the Bible. When God revealed His plan to Joseph, he was a teenager, and yet, even at such a young age, Joseph got on board with God’s plan. It took about 15 years for Joseph to live out what God had revealed to him in his teens, and he faced terribly difficult times during those years of pruning and waiting, but he held on the what God had revealed to him. Get on board because you do not want to miss out on being used for God’s glory.

Next Steps

Is there something God is asking you to surrender? Maybe it’s a job opportunity, or perhaps it’s a dream. Spend time praying and asking God to give you the courage to walk into the plan He has for you, even if it seems difficult.