Water and the Word: Balaam's Blessing

When your donkey steers you

off the road and into a field,

like Balaam’s did,

do you ever stop to listen,

and see if you hear

a divine braying of guidance?

Do you ever feel the courage

welling up inside you

to speak prophetic truth

to power, at risk to self?

I pray for holy gumption

in such moments of my life,

and once or twice,

I may have stumbled through

a word or two of hope.

King Balak was so obsessed

with cursing God’s people

that he gave Balaam four chances

to seal the deal.

To his credit, Balaam was

equally persistent in speaking blessing.

Here’s part of his third oracle:

Numbers 24:6-7b

Like palm groves that stretch far away,

like gardens beside a river,

like aloes that the Lord has planted,

like cedar trees beside the waters.

Water shall flow from his buckets,

and his seed shall have abundant water…

Let’s you and I claim this blessing

for all God’s children.

Let’s commit our hands, feet,

hearts, words and wallets

to make it come to pass.

© 2020 Todd Jenkins

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