When God Says "Whoa!"

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?" Numbers 22:28

The Bible is full of miracles—and a surprising amount of comedy if you picture it happening in real life.

Take Balaam and his donkey. Balaam, a prophet-for-hire (always a red flag), was summoned by King Balak to curse Israel. God told him no, but after some persistent lobbying, God finally said, "Fine. Go. But only say what I tell you."

You'd think a prophet would tread carefully after that.

He didn't.

Balaam saddled up his donkey and hit the road. But because his heart wasn't truly surrendered to God, the Lord sent an angel to block the way. Balaam never saw the danger.

His donkey did.

First, she veered into a field. Whack.

Then she crushed Balaam's foot against a wall. More whacking.

Finally, she simply sat down.

That's when it happened. God opened the donkey's mouth.

She basically said, "Dude, what is your problem? Haven't I always been your faithful donkey?" (My paraphrase...but honestly, not by much.)

Even funnier, Balaam argued back—as if having a conversation with his donkey was perfectly normal.

Finally, God opened Balaam's eyes. He saw the angel standing in the road with a drawn sword, ready to kill him. Suddenly, the donkey wasn't the foolish one.

He wasn't keeping Balaam from God's will.

She was keeping him alive.

How often do we do the same thing? We get frustrated by delays, disappointed by closed doors, or irritated by interruptions, assuming they're standing between us and what we want. All the while, God may be protecting us from something we can't yet see.

Not every obstacle comes from God. But some do. And sometimes His greatest acts of mercy look like unanswered prayers, canceled plans, or unexpected detours.

Before you fight the next roadblock in front of you, stop and ask, Lord, are You protecting me from something I can't see?

The obstacle may not be standing in your way.

It may be standing in the way of something that would have harmed you.

You are loved!