Chasing Donkeys: What to Do When God Redirects Your StepsSample

Believe You Belong

There is an ongoing debate in my family. It revolves around an incident that occurred on the way home from one of our vacation trips to the South Carolina coast during the July 4th holiday. At the end of the fun day at the beach, we, along with MANY others, began our return trip home. It was in the madness of congested travel that I found myself missing a key turn. As soon as I realized my mistake, I began the process of a U-turn which clearly made me a target for the proverbial, “Are we lost?” concerns from my family.

My position then and still today is that I was NOT lost. I knew where I was, I just wasn't where I wanted to be.

Does that describe the state of your life? You know where you are, you’re just not where you want to be. It is time to take action. Time is too valuable to keep living the same way year after year when there is so much more that God is calling us to. This is especially true when you consider the words of Jesus that He came so we could have life, but not just any old life, “abundant life” or life to the max!

We don’t know much about King Saul’s life before he became the first king of Israel. What we do know is that a simple donkey chase took him on a journey that would allow his path to cross with God’s plan in the form of the prophet Samuel. That intersection redirected Saul’s life towards something he never expected or prepared for. It was such a surprise that when it came time to officially make Saul king, he couldn’t be found because he was hiding in a tent.

Why would Saul be hiding? Could it be that he lacked the confidence to embrace his new assignment? How about your confidence in what God might be stirring up in you? Is it compelling enough to keep you from giving up? Hebrews 10:35-36 encourages us to persist: “So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”

Saul was missing a key ingredient that is common to many of us. He was missing confidence in the Lord. His confidence was in himself. When we filter life through a lens of our limited abilities, we run the risk of only seeing what we can’t do. When we live and act with confidence in God, we have something special that others will notice. More than anything, our confidence opens the door for us to engage with Him more and that provides opportunities for us to honor Him and bring glory to His name.

Reflect:

If you know where you are, but you aren’t where you want to be, what needs to change? What would your life look like at the “abundant” level (John 10:10)? What is keeping you from living with confidence in what God could do in and through you?

Prayer:

Loving heavenly Father, You know where my life is heading. Will You give me confidence that I’m moving in the direction that best honors You? Please give me the boldness I need to move beyond any resistance that may arise as I seek to follow You and move toward those things You would have me do for Your glory.