Roadblock

Numbers 22:21-33 (KJV) Says, "And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast riden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand:  and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

Balaam lost patience with his ass because he assumed she was disobeying him for no apparent reason. Balaam had angered God by heading out with the princes of Moab, and therefore God sent an angel to stand in the way preventing him from traveling further. The ass saw the angel of the Lord standing with sword drawn, and blocking the way. This prompted the ass to turn and head in another direction, to thrust herself into the wall, and to fall down under Balaam. These were all efforts by the ass to protect Balaam, and as it turns out to save his life. When the Lord opened the mouth of the ass she questioned Balaam as to why he didn't realize something was preventing her from moving forward. She reminded him that she had been his for a while, and that he rode her often without incident which should have been a clear indication to him that something was wrong. Then Balaam's eyes were opened, and he saw the angel of the Lord for himself. The angel of the Lord told him that he went out to stand in the way because Balaam's way was perverse before the Lord, and that if the ass had not turned back he would have been killed with the sword, and the ass would have been allowed to live.

Balaam got in such a hurry to move forward and follow his plan that he missed several signs that he should have gotten. Instead of realizing that his ass was not acting like her normal obedient self, and attempting to figure out what was wrong, Balaam became angry and hit the ass. He was given three opportunities to pause and ponder what the problem could be, but instead three times he went straight into anger mode striking the ass, without ever considering that her behavior was odd, and that she may very well be protecting him from something.

Have you ever had a plan for your life that was interrupted or canceled altogether because of an unforeseen roadblock? Did you become angry lashing out at those around you without pausing to consider that God may have been responsible for it? If God threw a roadblock up in front of you forcing you to turn around, you were headed in the wrong direction, He didn't approve of your plan, and He has something better in mind for you.

I encourage you to pay close attention to God's signs and warnings. Pray about all of your decisions, and ask God to lead, guide, and direct your path. Follow the plan God has for your life and not the one you have prepared for yourself. Live in obedience to God, and take heed to His instructions. Don't do as Balaam did and get so caught up in your own plan that you miss God's signs and warnings. I encourage you to pray, listen, and watch for God's direction. I urge you not to become so focused on your own plans that you miss hearing from God. I urge you to remember when you come upon a roadblock in your life, and you are surrounded by signs and warnings to pay close attention to them. Don't get angry and frustrated, simply turn around reminding yourself that the roadblock may very well have been placed there by God. Remind yourself that He may have placed it there to save you from grief, prevent you from making a major mistake, or even to save your life.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.