Are we blind to what is getting in the way?

http://bible.com/100/num.22.31.nasb Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.

How often are we walking blindly,  but telling ourselves that we know what we are doing? Even those of us who walk by faith and not by sight, don’t we sometimes begin to believe that we know the way ourselves? Doesn’t our own will try to step in and recover a foothold on our Christ surrendered lives?

Walking by faith isn’t having everything perfectly laid out for us and clear to us. The Lord is a light to our path and a lamp to our feet,  but that lamp shows us our next few steps,  it isn’t a full project plan with detailed phases and steps. And we can seek wise counsel and come up with the grandest of plans of our own designs for His glory,  and there is value in the testimony of us seeking to honor Him. But we must not forget to look to Him for each of our steps along the way.

Balaam knew that He was doing what the Lord had called Him to do.  He knew that He was headed to the place where Good instructed him to go. But each step along the path is important,  and Balaam had forgotten this. And when the Lord stood in his path,  blocking his way, Balaam was frustrated and tried to resist and continue forward anyways.

Don’t we do this ourselves at times? Encountering a door that the Lord has closed in our lives,  but still trying to open the locked door instead of trusting God and seeking to understand.

Doesn’t our attitude and reaction to the circumstance give evidence to our heart? Are we encountering struggle and asking, Lord,  where do you want me to go, what are you teaching me? Or do we proudly walk up to the door,  beating on it,  expecting it to swing open,  yielding to our will?

You see, it is us who need to yield. It is us who need to be patient. It is us who need to remember that the Lord is directing our steps. It is us who need to trust that even the closed doors are there to teach us and guide us.

If we are so intent on going our own way, can we say that we are surrendered to Christ?

Let’s remember to walk by faith,  not by sight – always seeking first the Kingdom of God, yielding to His will.

Let’s keep walking this narrow path, remembering that sometimes the thorns are there to remind us to stay on the path.