Angels in the Way

I have had a recurring dream that recurred again last night. I go to the ski slopes, all decked out in all my ski paraphernalia, and by the time I reach the top of the hill, the snow is rapidly melting. I can get in one or two runs down the hill, and then I start racing to all different parts of the resort hoping to find a section where the sun hasn't melted the snow. By the end of the dream, the snow is always gone, and I am left just cold and wet with no snow to ski on.

Real life is like that sometimes. In Richmond, while walking along the shore of the lovely James River, I wanted to get close to get photos of the most dramatic rapids, but there was an iron fence blocking me. Sometimes the most tantalizing tidbits of life lie just outside our reach. We do all the right things, show up at all the right places, and prepare with all the right equipment...but something blocks us from attaining our goal.

One of my favorite Bible stories is about Balaam's donkey. Balaam has been convinced by Israel's enemies to curse Israel, so he sets forth to the mountaintop. His donkey lies down along the way and refuses to budge. Balaam beats the donkey. Still the donkey won't move. Finally, the donkey speaks. He asks Balaam if the donkey was in the habit of shirking his duty. Balaam admits he was not. "Then doofus", says the donkey (paraphrase- doofus is not translatable from either Greek or Aramaic), "Why are you beating me? First of all, it is animal abuse, and secondly, did you ever stop to consider that a greater power than me is stopping us for a reason?"
And the donkey is correct. God did not want Balaam cursing His people, so it was God who stayed the donkey. Before their eyes, angles appeared then in the path, blocking the donkey's way, and admonishing Balaam that the donkey had saved him from doing a very foolish thing.

It is very hard to have clear goals frustrated. But it is wise to consider that perhaps it might be angels blocking our path for a purpose.

Numbers 22:27-34 (NIV)
When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. [28] 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? ” [29] Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now. ” [30] The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said. [31] Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. [32] The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. [33] The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.” [34] Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”



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