“Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, ‘Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.’” (1 Samuel 9:3)
My daily bible readings just now are in 1 Samuel. This week I read the account in chapter 9 of Saul encountering the prophet, Samuel. Twenty-four hours before Saul arrived, God had spoken to Samuel preparing him to anoint his visitor as the ruler over Israel. But from Saul’s point of view this has all been a fruitless, days-long search through the territories of Ephraim and Benjamin looking for some lost donkeys. Saul and his servant have been reduced to eating dry crusts. For the hapless Saul it must all have seemed like a pointless and frustrating waste of time and effort. There comes a point where surely there are more important things to do than look for lost donkeys? It’s just one last, apparently off-hand, suggestion from Saul’s servant that sees them turn aside to seek divine insight. Only later will it become clear that God has been at work in this episode as the means to bring Saul and Samuel together.
I wonder – does life feel like you are currently ‘looking for lost donkeys’?! Marking time in apparently endless and pointless and mundane activity? Depleting your resources, your time and your energy? Then perhaps this is a text for you. Turn aside. Seek out a servant of the Lord. Consider that your ‘lost donkey’ is actually bringing you precisely where God wants you to be.