“Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.” (v. 34)

How do you account for obstacles?

In our very American way, we tend to see them as things uniformly conquerable, things for the determined to overcome. An obstacle is an opportunity—to press on and press through, to persevere.

And, look, I’m not advocating for turning around and giving up at the first sign of resistance…

…but is it at least possible that some obstacles are actually protective?

In Numbers 22, the country prophet Balaam is caught in a geopolitical conflict. And, even though his calling sent him into the counsel of a pagan king, it’s fraught with unholy works. So God, by grace, stands in the way—invisible to all but the donkey!—leaving Balaam’s purposes derailed.

God says, “If you had pressed on, you would have died.” The man was completely unaware.

So maybe—just maybe—that hiccup in your plan and progress is actually protective. Maybe you and I, when we are derailed, ought to seek God’s face in prayer on the way to persevering.

Maybe He’s the One derailing us, for our good.

— Tyler