A Donkey’s Vision
Read This Week: Numbers 22
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabite officials. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. – Numbers 22:21-23 NIV
A pagan prophet, a talking donkey, and a king desperate to control outcomes. Numbers 22 is a compelling chapter with a practical message about vision, influence, obedience, godly vision, and how hearts can drift even when words sound right.
Balak, king of Moab, sees Israel not just as a neighbor but as a threat. Instead of confronting them, he seeks control by trying to manipulate them spiritually, calling on Balaam, a prophet known for blessing or cursing, to leverage spiritual authority for gain. Our first takeaway from this is that fear often drives people to control what they cannot trust. In leadership, business, and life, uncertainty tempts us to grasp for control rather than lean into faith and clarity.
Balaam’s role is where things get even more personal. Initially, he does the right thing. When asked to curse Israel, he seeks God and receives a clear answer: You must not put a curse on those people. It’s decisive and unmistakable. But when a second, more prestigious offer comes with more money, more influence, and more recognition, Balaam pauses again. This is where the story shifts from external pressure to internal conflict. Balaam’s words remain spiritual, but his heart begins to entertain what God told him not to do.
That tension is relevant. We don’t often blatantly disobey, but we revisit decisions God has made clear, tempted by better offers like more opportunity, visibility, or upside. The issue isn’t just rebellion; it’s rationalization. We negotiate with clarity. Balaam’s story warns us that delayed obedience and reopened questions reveal that our desires may be competing with our convictions.
God allows Balaam to go, not so that he will get approval, but so he’ll be exposed. On the journey, Balaam faces resistance from an unexpected source: his donkey, who sees what Balaam cannot. Three times the animal stops before the angel of the Lord; three times Balaam responds with frustration and force. This is ironic because the one meant to see is blind, while the overlooked, unexpected one sees clearly. A donkey’s vision was clearer than Balaam’s.
The lesson here seems to be that when misaligned, we lose perspective, become irritated by obstacles, forsake our faith, and may even fight against what’s meant to protect us. Frustrations and delays may actually shield us from harm or realign us with God’s will and His purposes for our lives.
When Balaam’s eyes are opened, he realizes how close he came to destruction. It’s a humbling moment that shows awareness often follows resistance. Still, Father God offers grace. He corrects and redirects Balaam, and He does the same for us. The Lord is merciful and faithful and works to bring clarity and show us the right path, even when we stray.
This begs a few questions: Where do we seek to control out of fear? Are we reopening settled decisions because new opportunities appear? Are frustrations really guidance or protection? Numbers 22 encourages us to remember that spiritual language and traditions aren’t the same as spiritual devotion and submission to the Holy Spirit. Balaam’s divided heart, despite saying the right things, becomes the real tension. It is being obedient to God’s word, even when it is uncomfortable and may cost us.
Living this out means choosing faithfulness over opportunity, obedience over advantage, and trust over control. Ultimately, the Scriptures urge us to have consistency between our actions and hearts, as peace and clarity often come when we seek the Lord and pay attention to what holds us back.
Numbers Chapter 22 Verse 20-22
20. And God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men come to call you, rise up and go with them, but still only what I tell you may you do.
21. And Balaam rose up in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
22. And God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the Angel of the Lord stood in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Numbers Chapter 22 Verse 28, 30, 31
28. And the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you should strike me these three times?
30. And the donkey said to Balaam, am not I your donkey, upon which you have ridden all your life long until this day? Was I ever accustomed to do so to you? And he said, No.
31. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head and fell on his face.
~God’s Voice And Our Obedience~
God Is Saying To Me:
Trina, when I instruct you to do and say what I am asking of you, do the things the way I tell you. There are abundant blessings in serving Me with a clean heart, without any motives or an agenda.
What This Means To Me:
Dishonesty and greed are not from God’s heart. When I disobey God’s directions or try to jump start His plan for me, I set myself up to fail and to fall victim to sin. God already knows my heart, so it is best just to be obedient and blessed knowing that I listen to God the first time around. Missing Sunday’s church services led me to sin and lose my blessings from God.
******Father God Also Gave Me This Insight*****
~God Can Use Us All To Help Others Along The Way~
God Is Saying To Me:
My child, you are Mine and I want you to always remember that everyone is My child and to never look down upon anyone. I can use anyone to do the kingdom’s work. Even a donkey that is stereotyped dumb is useful to Me!
What This Means To Me:
Father God can use all of us to serve the kingdom. My title or level of intelligence should not hinder me from doing God’s work. He can use me where I am at in my journey with Him, if only I am listening to His directions. Sometimes the least obvious people or situations can be of valid use even when you don’t see it. So listen to my voice and respond quickly so that I don’t have to make an example out of you. I don’t want the ‘donkey of life’ to see the mission or divine appointment before I do.
Story: When I was in the sixth grade, I was in a play and there were three students wearing a donkey suit that moved around the stage. Someone had the head part. Someone had the middle part and I was the tail. The person in the front and middle had to make sure that the back part, the tail did not fall off the stage. We were all dependent in some way to one another to move correctly in unison so as to not fall. I was the tell and of course, I didn’t stay in step and I was revealed as they left me standing and they kept moving. Sometimes life uses strange situations as life lessons. God was showing me that it was important for me to remain in step and unison with the two in front of me so as to not get left behind. That’s what God desires for us is to work in unison with one another, even if it may seem like an unlikely pair! ❤️❤️
When you think about God’s plans for your life, are you actually seeking to follow them in detail—even when you don’t fully understand them, even when you don’t see the outcome yet—but you trust that His plans are good?
Because the truth is, God is already working ahead of you. He’s organizing things, aligning people, setting timing, and working situations together for your good before you ever step into them.
But often, what happens is we don’t fully follow His plan—we start negotiating with it.
We take what God said, and then we begin to adjust it, reshape it, and create a version of His plan that fits what we want. And when we do that, we slowly move out of alignment—even if it still feels like we’re moving forward.
And I’ve found that when you go down a path that isn’t fully from God, and you ignore the signs along the way, things don’t end up working out—you eventually find yourself right back where you started.
And this reminds me of a man named Bob.
Bob gets a job offer, and he goes to God and says, “Father, should I take this job?”
And God tells him, “No. Don’t take it. You know they want you working weekends. You have church on Sunday. That’s going to pull you out of alignment with what I have for you.”
But Bob goes back and starts working it.
“God, he said I might be able to get some weekends off… and I could go to midweek service… and it’s more money, so it would be better for the family.”
And the Lord tells him, “If you want to take the job, take the job. But you may not want to be missing church on Sundays.”
Bob hears what he wants to hear.
He goes to his wife—“Honey, guess what? God said I can take the job.”
She says, “That seems off… aren’t you supposed to be working Sundays?”
“Yeah, but I can work around it… I talked to God about it.”
And what happens?
He starts missing Sundays. Then he misses midweek. Then things begin to slip. He’s not hearing from God like he used to. His family feels it. Things aren’t working like he thought they would.
And when it all falls apart, it traces all the way back to that one moment—when he chose his version of God’s plan instead of God’s actual direction.
That’s what we do.
We try to bring our will into God’s plan instead of aligning ourselves with His.
But I’ve found it’s far better to just seek God’s plans—and follow them. And as we end up strong, that’s because His plans are good. His plans are right. His plans are not to harm you, but to prosper you. And when you follow God’s plans, you succeed—you win.
And now you’re in alignment with God.
And God always wins.
1. God goes before you and prepares the way.
God is not reacting—He is orchestrating. Before you ever step into something, He is already working behind the scenes, lining up people, situations, and outcomes for your good. He prepares the path, arranges the details, and positions things exactly where they need to be.
And here’s the part most people miss—He will even use people who are not aligned with Him to still accomplish His purpose in your life. God can take what was meant to work against you and turn it into something that works for you.
Do you know when to wait, and do you know when to move? Because when God is preparing things, moving too early or too late can put you out of rhythm with what He’s doing. Staying aligned means trusting that He is working—even when you don’t see it yet.
2. Be a rapid responder—see and follow God’s will, not your own.
It’s not enough to hear God—you have to respond correctly.
You can’t take a clear word from God, go back hoping for a different answer, and expect to stay in alignment. That’s not obedience—that’s negotiation.
A rapid responder says: “If God said it, I’m moving on it.” No delay, no second-guessing, no trying to reshape it into something more convenient.
Because the moment you start following your will instead of His, you may still be moving—but you’re moving outside of alignment, and that’s where things begin to break down.
3. Pay attention—God will correct you if you’re off track.
When you start drifting, God doesn’t stay silent—He interrupts.
Sometimes it’s subtle. A check in your spirit. A delay. Something doesn’t feel right. Other times it comes through people—someone speaks into your life, and you know it hits deeper than just conversation.
The key is this: Are you willing to stop and reassess?
Even if you believe you’re headed in the right direction, there is strength in pausing and asking, “God, am I aligned with You?”
Because correction is not rejection—it’s protection. And if you’ll listen, it can bring you right back into what God is doing.
PODCAST
This Week in the Life: Numbers 22
The Message: https://reachchurch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260329message.wav
Numbers 22 — Are We Really Listening?
Can I ask you something…
Are we really listening to God?
Or are we listening… until we hear what we want?
There was a king named Balak. He was afraid of God’s people
because he saw how strong they were.
He knew: “I can’t defeat them physically… so I’ll try spiritually.”
So he sends for a man named Balaam—a man who could hear from God.
Balaam wasn’t just anyone.
He was known as a prophet—someone people believed could truly hear from God and speak on His behalf.
In fact, people thought that when Balaam blessed someone, they were blessed…
and when he cursed someone, they were cursed.
He had a reputation.
He had influence.
But here’s what we begin to see…
he could hear God… but wasn’t fully listening
The king Balak
He offers him money and says: “Come curse these people.”
But here’s the truth:
God had already blessed them.
God had made promises all the way back to Abraham:
“I will be with you”
“I will bless you”
“You are Mine”
And no man… no money… no plan… could change what God
had spoken.
Balaam goes to God… which sounds right.
But God had already told him NO.
And yet…
He asks again
He entertains it and His heart is pulled by money
So God allows him to go—but his heart is still wrong.
It’s like you ask your Father to go a party, he says no
So you keep asking, He knows it’s not a good idea, stuff happens, so finally he is like just go and knows in his heart it’s not a good idea but knows you have have to learn what’s good and what’s not a good thing!
On the way… God stands in the road.
The Angel of the Lord—right in front of him.
And Balaam… can’t see it.
But the donkey can.
Sometimes when our heart is not right… we lose our ability to
see clearly.
God isn’t trying to punish Balaam.
He is trying to stop him. He is trying to wake him up.
God is not just listening to what we say… He is looking at our
heart.
We can pray, say the right things, show up… but are we really
listening?
Or are we hoping God will change His answer?
Have you ever known what God was telling you… but you kept
going anyway?
And then when things get hard… we can blame other people.
God didn’t confuse us… we just didn’t want to listen.But God didn’t abandon Balaam.
He stood in the way.
Hoping he would have a change of heart- that’s what I see
So what is God saying to you right now?
Just one thing.
God is still speaking… the question is—are we listening the first time?
So just take time to think about maybe choices that you made that wasn’t God‘s will and learn from it.
And keep seeking father God, especially when making choices that can affect your life in other people’s lives too! We want to be good servants of the Lord, helping people allowing the fruits of the spirit to be growing in our heart. We get challenged all the time, but it’s learning to listen a lot of times before we respond and so important to listen to our Father God because he knows best. And he won’t lead us in the wrong direction for sure.! ❤️
Prayer you can pray
Help Me to Listen”
Father God,
Thank You that You are always speaking…
You are not silent, and You are not distant.
You are a loving Father who leads, guides, and warns because You care.
Lord, I confess…
there have been times I knew what You were saying,
but I didn’t want to listen.
Times I kept asking, hoping for a different answer.
Times my heart was pulled by what I wanted instead of what You wanted.
Forgive me, Father.
Search my heart and show me anything in me
that is resisting You, ignoring You, or trying to go my own way.
Open my eyes so I can see clearly.
Remove anything that is clouding my vision or dulling my hearing.
Holy Spirit, please strengthen me within.
Renew my heart.
Help me to walk in step with You—not ahead of You, not behind You.
Please Give me a willing heart to obey the first time…
not delayed obedience, not partial obedience, but full surrender.
And Father, thank You for Your mercy—
that even when I’ve gone the wrong way,
You stand in the road to stop me… not to harm me, but to save me.
Help me to recognize Your voice quickly
and trust You completely.
Today, I choose to listen…
and I choose to obey.
Thank you, father God, Jesus and your Holy Spirit. I appreciate you. I love you. ❤️❌⭕️
Thank you for your love.
Amen.
This is what I got from God in Numbers 22. Your flesh is constantly at war with the Holy Spirit. The devil is plotting against you. Seek My protection. The devil will also use signs and wonders to tempt you. I need to protect my kids and my mind. If I stay in God’s Word, the knowledge I receive will protect me. If I practice deceit, I will not dwell with God. I can not effectively serve God, if I am filled with pride. I need to be aware of what motivates me and it needs to be pleasing to God. I need to have the right motives for everything I do. Years ago, I wore the bracelets What Would Jesus Do? It’s important that I ask myself that, and it will help keep me accountable. I need to be content with what God has given me. I need to focus on the blessings I do have and not what I don’t have. It all depends on trusting God and what He has given me. Comparing myself to others will only cause me to be discontent, and not trust God. I know what is wrong and what is right, and I need to be obedient. God opens and closes doors through my struggles. These obstacles are God closing doors to redirect my path.
This week in Numbers chapter 22 I got a song
Worship
Lets stand up lifting are hands praising our Lord oh Lord, we worship you oh Lord, we worship you we praise you our Lord we want to put you first in everything we do knowing your plans are perfect so let’s align with our lord when we have any doubts let’s stop and pray to our Lord the Lord is always with us he never leaves us. We are blessed. We have a Lord, who is always the same so let’s trust in the Lord asking him when we need help. Praying for others and ourselves. Let’s have faith over fear and know we have victory with our Lord. We have victory with our Lord amen
When we walk in victory with love and obedience it will overcome the world‘s way, our Lord never leaves and always fights for us amen