Have you ever thought about what God saves us from? I heard a preacher ask this question, “Have you ever thanked God for that flat tire? You don’t know what he saved from down the road.” Or, when we sit in traffic impatiently, God be keeping us out of a wreck down the road.
That statement reminds me of the story of Balaam. In Numbers 22, we read about Balaam and that he was asked by Balak to work some magic for him. Balaam was a magician of a nomadic clan. When Balaam set out that morning he saddled up his donkey and left. God was very angry and He set an angel of the Lord to oppose his path. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword and turned off a road into the field. Balaam beat the donkey to get back on the path. This happened three times and Balaam would beat the donkey until the Lord allowed the donkey to speak. Then Balaam saw the angel of the Lord standing with his sword drawn. The angel told Balaam,” I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.”
Think about Balaam next time you get mad you are in a traffic jam or see that you have a flat. You never know what God is keeping us safe from down the road. Or, your path in life could be a dangerous one that doesn’t please God and He may try to get you back on track. Always know that God has the power to protect us from things that are unseen.
“They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey-a beast without speech-who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.” 2 Peter 15-16