Chasing Donkeys

Ruth

Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”

—1 Samuel 9:3

As soon as the Israelites asked the prophet Samuel for a king like all the other nations, we meet a young man named Saul. In the beginning of 1 Samuel 9, Saul was completely unaware that he was about to be anointed the first king of Israel. What he was made aware of was that his dad had lost some family donkeys and he needed Saul to help with the search.

These must have been some valuable donkeys because young Saul and a servant searched high and low. They searched the hill country of Ephraim and the area around Shalisha—but no donkeys. They searched in the district of Shaalim—yet no donkeys. Then they went to the territory of Benjamin; still they found no donkeys. Finally, they reached the district of Zuph, and—you guessed it—no donkeys. That’s when Saul wanted to turn back. I can only imagine that he was tired of looking everywhere for a few donkeys.

But at the servant’s suggestion, they continued to a nearby town to look for a man of God who would give them guidance on where to find these lost donkeys. Little did they know that this man of God was Samuel. And little did they know that the Lord had spoken to Samuel the night before regarding Saul. Samuel assured them that not only had the donkeys been found, but God’s man, the next king of Israel, Saul, had been found too (1 Samuel 9:20).

Saul had no idea he was headed right to the man God would use to appoint him king. He was just out looking for some donkeys. While there is a lot we could say about this passage of Scripture, we can at least conclude that sometimes when we are “chasing donkeys,” the Lord has a lot more in store for us. We never know why we are being asked to be obedient in some area of life. And sometimes we never know where our obedience will take us or what God will do with it.

So whatever the Lord is asking you to do, no matter how big or small, whether it makes sense or not, regardless of whether anyone sees it, be faithful. Persevere. Don’t be afraid to chase those lost donkeys!

Lord, I want to trust and obey You. Help me be faithful in all things—big and small. I know You want to do far more with my life than I can even imagine. Give me grace to surrender to You for the sake of Your glory and purposes in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

How can you learn to be obedient even with the small things of your life?