Numbers 23:19–20: “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.”

February 2nd, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

After Balaam heard his donkey speak and saw the angel, he was a changed man; he suddenly desired to be obedient to God! There is no clearer form of guidance than seeing an angel of the Lord, sword in hand, standing in the middle of a road blocking your way: “Gee, I wonder what God is trying to say to me?” So when Balaam arrived and King Balak commanded him to curse the Israelites, the prophet warned the king that he could only say what God allowed him to say. God already intended to bless Israel, just as He had been doing all along. Even if King Balak had been able to force Balaam to proclaim a curse on Israel, it would have been useless, hot air. God would continue to do what He had set out to do; however, Balaam would have missed the opportunity to be a part of it.

God never changes His purposes, only the way he gets the job done, according to our choices. God’s ultimate goals will be accomplished, either with us or without us. The prophecies of God are accomplished on time or “in the fullness of time,” especially the things He foretold of the Messiah, promised to the people of Israel and all people everywhere. But He does want us to be actively involved in His plans and workings. God incidences or God-given opportunities to share His love arise in our lives daily, and He desires for us to participate in them so we can get to know Him better. Too often, though, we miss these opportunities because we are so focused in on the unimportant trivia of the day or caught up in taking care of our physical needs that we miss the spiritual.

“LORD, help us to see, open the eyes of our hearts, LORD, so we will see and act on the opportunities You give us this day.”