“Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”
1 Samuel 9:5-6 (NIV)
There are so many examples in this story of how God works out His purpose for good in our lives, by using other people. One event is woven into another so that the person, the purpose and the intended destiny is fulfilled. The details in this story are applicable to our own lives.
When we think we’ve lost something, it could become a turning point that redirects us to a purpose we didn’t know we had. It happens through the least expected circumstances, with the most unlikely participants.
Saul’s father sent him along with a hired servant, to search for the family’s runaway donkeys. To his surprise, Saul discovered his destiny was to become the first king of Israel. God can take our losses, failures or inconveniences, and turn us in a new direction that we never before anticipated.
After not finding the lost donkeys anywhere, Saul was ready to give up the search and return home. The hired man suggested that they consult the local prophet who lived nearby. Saul found reassurance in his advice, since a prophet hears from God, and should know where the donkeys are. The servant was a “motivator” in this story. Motivators are the people in each person’s life, who restore hope and faith, just when they are about to give up.
So, the two men began to search for the home of the prophet, Samuel. At that moment, a group of women were passing by, so Saul asked them if they knew where Samuel lives. The women immediately pointed in the right direction, and they found Samuel’s home. Besides motivators, there are “pointers” in everyone’s life, who are strangers or acquaintances, who unknowingly point them in a certain direction for a destiny, that God has been leading them to.
Before all this happened, God told the prophet Samuel, that a young man will arrive at his house, who is chosen to become the first king of Israel. So, Samuel anointed Saul as king, and afterward, they found their lost donkeys. What started with runaway donkeys and an ordinary search mission, unfolded to reveal the remarkable destiny of one young man.
Like Saul, we’ve all gone on search missions of some kind, but later learned that God’s plan was bigger than ours. There are numerous stories of how people met their spouses in an unexpected way or place. Some people received hope and encouragement from someone during a crisis, just when they were losing heart, and about to give up. Others found their career direction or a call to ministry by something or someone who was a key motivator for them. Everyone has been pointed in the right direction by somebody at the right place and time in their life.
This story, is everyone’s story. Each of our lives involved people, who played some part in fulfilling a plan God had for us. What started out as a search mission, turned into a sequence of events, with motivators, pointers and people who God has networked into our lives for the good. At times, we may only see what we’ve lost, but God sees an opportunity to anoint us for more than we ever expected.
We are all connected and more interwoven in the destinies of others, than we know. It may seem like a long time is spent, looking for lost donkeys, but God’s timing is always perfect. We have the rest of eternity to connect all the dots, and learn how God arranged the networking of people in our lives according to His purpose, and for our eternal benefit.
Lord, help us to trust that your plans are always good, for this present time and for eternity. Thank you for those who have blessed us and help us to do our part in blessing others, according to your perfect will for us. Amen
