Read today’s texts first: Numbers 21-23; Mark 6-7
If you are nervous about speaking for God,
take heart - He can speak through any dumb ass!
take heart - He can speak through any dumb ass!
I often wonder why God chose me to speak for Him. From my first panic attack at age 15 teaching open session in the Hastings Foursquare Sunday School to blanking out in speech class in Bible college, I’ve never found a public-speaking comfort zone. Now as a senior citizen, after over 4 decades of teaching and preaching, I still get sick to my stomach every time I have to preach in church.
Today’s readings bring me some reassurance, I think. The story of Moses should be inspirational enough. Here is an octogenarian slow of speech with no aspirations as a public speaker leading 2 million plus very vocal Jews for over 40 years. But the story he tells in Numbers 22 is the ultimate illustration of what God can do through any “dumb ass” (where else can you get away with saying that).
Not only do we see God’s almost unbelievable power (how many of your unchurched friends would believe this story?), but His sense of humour is brilliant. This scene is as funny as any exchange between Shrek and his donkey: “What have I ever done to you? Am I not your trusty donkey on whom you’ve ridden for years right up until now? Have I ever done anything like this to you before? Have I?” You know Balaam’s thinking it, “no, actually you’ve never talked back to me before, ever!” Then the angel gets in on it: “Why have you beaten your poor donkey. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she hadn’t, I would have killed you by this time, but not the donkey. I would have let her off” (30-33). Balaam is out-staged by his donkey. Eddie Murphy, eat your heart out!
Fast forward to the Mark passage and we see Jesus, coincidentally enough, making the dumb speak (7:37). It doesn’t take a whole lot of deductive reasoning to see a possible theme developing - God is not limited by our inadequacies. “Lord, may I never doubt Your ability to speak even through me. You said if we don’t speak Your praises, even the rocks will cry out. I believe it!”
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