1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with it. Untie them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them on immediately.” 4 Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt...
TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:
In a personal relationship with the Lord, one will recognize Him and His calling us to various ministries or carrying out certain deeds. It could be as simple as allowing one's donkeys to be used to serve God. And here, Jesus always knew that the owner of these animals would be willing to give, without question.
The disciples, as well, had to trust that when Jesus asked them to go and get these animals, everything would work out, just as He said. They could have very easily questioned the call with thoughts such as, "What if the owners think we are lying and stealing their livestock, and we get into trouble?" etc. They still might have had some of these questions and doubts, but they still obeyed the Lord's directions. If they had done this task any other way, they would have missed out on witnessing yet another a miracle, and experiencing another amazing way that God provides.
For us, we might think it is much more difficult to know if Jesus is asking us to do something specific. Well, we do have the Lord's explicit directions for us to live by, written down for us in His word. It might all sound so very easy that we brush these directions aside. Just considering these few, for example: treat others the way we want to be treated... treat others as more important than ourself... love our neighbor as we love ourself... So simple to say, but do we trust the Lord when He nudges and prompts us to apply these verses, especially when the other person is rude?
As believers, we all have His indwelling Holy Spirit to prompt, guide and help us. And the closer we grow to the Lord in our relationship with Him, the clearer His voice will be. Not that everyone will literally hear Him speaking. Some do, but while I haven't heard His voice, I will most definitely get nudges. And when those nudges align with God's words, I know He is asking me to do something.
The question always is: am I willing to trust the Lord and what He is asking of me? Do I trust Him enough to respond with obedience? And, besides fear and doubt, am I being selfish about my time and resources??? So, maybe it begins with me confessing some sins in my life; and then, praying and asking Him to help me listen for and recognize Him calling me to opportunities! If I'm not doing this, then I will miss out on opportunities to witness miracles and experience God's amazing provisions and blessings.
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