Daily Devotion for May 30, 2006

Donkey Days

 

As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us” –and the servant did so—“but you stay here awhile, so that I may give you a message from God.” Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you leader over his inheritance?”  1 Samuel 9:27 – 10:1

 

Saul didn’t know what hit him. He set out to do an ordinary task, hunting for his father’s donkeys, but, as a result of an unplanned side trip, was anointed king of Israel. Ruth Harms Calkin says it best in her poem titled, Donkey Days:

Dear God, I just couldn’t help it:
 I chuckled aloud this morning
 As I read the story of Saul—
 How one very ordinary day
 At the urgent request of his father
 Saul combed the hillside searching for lost donkeys.
 Little did he know that Samuel waited to anoint him
 That very day as Israel’s first king.
 The story refreshed and delighted me.
 Far too often I bewail my daily routine.
 My days with their nitty-gritty seem no more challenging
 Than hunting for lost donkeys—
 Stubborn obstinate donkeys.
 But suddenly this morning
 There came a flash of fresh insight:
 You do indeed have a plan for me.
 You have a settled purpose.
 I am guided by your wisdom and love.
 And all you ask is my confident trust.
 Dreary days? Donkey days?
 Yes, Lord—often. But just around the corner
 Or at the top of a hill
 You wait with a shining surprise!

 

Prayer
Lord, You have a plan and purpose for each of us. We need only to keep plugging away at the daily tasks You’ve given us and trust in You. Who knows what may unfold from today’s drudgery? Help me to live expectantly in the midst of the donkey days. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 

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