Photo by Clay Banks
Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father were lost. So Kish said to his son, “Take one of the young men with you and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”
1 Samuel 9: 3 ESV
I love the story of Saul, in an ordinary day, Saul wakes up and he is given a task by his father to go look for donkeys. It doesn’t feel glorious or important, yet this task leads him to a very glorious task. The story of searching for donkeys is where Saul converges with destiny. While looking for donkeys, he meets Samuel who tells him that God had chosen him to be Israel’s next king.
We are told, Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people because their cry has come to me.” 1 Samuel 9: 15-16
God often has an uncanny way of leading us to great places through unimportant places. God knew donkeys will be lost and Saul will be given the task of finding them and this will lead him to his destiny.
Donkey here is symbolic of menial, not glorious, unimportant tasks.
What is your donkey of a task- that thing in front of you right now that feels so menial and unimportant? What are you in the middle of? What if that donkey of a dead-end job is what God is using to lead you to your dreams? What if that donkey of a relationship is what God will use to lead to the places you need to go? What if the thing that seems least important is what God wants to use to lead us to His purposes.
I have had my own version of chasing donkeys, and the donkey that was in front of me seemed to change season after season. Yet, they all had one common characteristic… What I was doing and where I wanted to go seemed detached. Every single season. what I was doing didn’t seem to meet with where I needed to go or where I thought I needed to go. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out how these donkeys would lead me to my dreams.
I would often ask God shouldn’t I be over there learning about how to do this and that? But God didn’t seem interested in my suggestions. He just said, “ This is my will for you in this season. Do it well and for my glory.”
I decided if God has me doing these menial tasks then they must be important. So, I got up and did them like I was doing my dream job. I woke up and chased that donkey like my life depended on it. I decided if this is all I ever do then I will do it well.
My donkey chasing wasn’t a two-day job, it lasted for years- about 6 years to be exact. I got up every day and did those unimportant things with grace and courage. And I asked for grace for the next and the next and the next… and kept going until I saw the dream begin to emerge and felt God give me the go-ahead to go after it.
Maybe you are frustrated and flustered wondering whether your life will ever change. Wondering when you’ll get to do that thing.
Maybe you are just tired of having to chase donkeys one more day.
Maybe the cry of your heart… is when God when???…
Here is the thing; Saul didn’t know that his life was about to change but God knew when and how. Because Saul was obedient to do the task in front of him, it led him where God wanted him to go.
Be encouraged so many people in the bible had to chase donkeys to get to their destinies. David was a shepherd before he was king. (Psalm 78:70) Moses tended sheep in the wilderness for 40 years before God called him to be a deliverer for Israel. (Exodus 3:1) Joseph was a slave then was in prison for a long time before he became prime minister. (Genesis 39)
Sis, keep chasing the donkey in front of you. Don’t worry about the when’s and how’s. Trust in His ways. Who knows what God has stored up for you ahead? Maybe that donkey is what will lead you to the marriage God has for you. Maybe that donkey is what will lead you to your dream job. Maybe that donkey is what will put you in front of the people you need to lead and influence.
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