All Creatures Great and Small: Listening

Devotional

Day 1: Donkey Eyes on the Road

Balaam’s donkey saw the angel first. Three times the animal swerved, crushed Balaam’s foot against a wall, then lay down. Balaam struck her each time, blind to the divine blockade. Only when God opened the donkey’s mouth did Balaam pause. “Have I ever done this before?” she asked. The prophet’s rage melted as God peeled scales from his eyes. [47:46]

The donkey recognized danger Balaam’s pride refused to see. God used stubborn loyalty to break through human presumption. Even now, Christ speaks through those we consider beneath us – the quiet coworker, the child, the stranger with inconvenient truths.

You ride past “donkeys” daily – voices urging caution or offering correction. What if their persistence carries divine urgency? Name one person you’ve dismissed this week. What might God say through them if you stopped striking back?

“The donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?’ ‘No,’ he said. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn.”
(Numbers 22:30-31, NIV)

Prayer: Ask God to reveal one person you’ve resisted listening to this week.
Challenge: Text someone you often disagree with: “What’s one thing I need to hear today?”

Day 2: When Angels Narrow Paths

The road tightened with each divine interruption. First a field, then a vineyard wall, finally a place too narrow to turn. Balaam kept lashing the donkey until his shin bruised against stone. God wasn’t blocking the journey – He was narrowing Balaam’s heart. [46:44]

Jesus still narrows paths to widen vision. Closed doors, cramped schedules, and scraping disappointments often hide angels with drawn swords. Like Balaam, we batter obstacles instead of asking why they stall us.

Your frustration today – that canceled plan, stubborn child, financial pinch – might be a narrowing road. Where are you forcing progress instead of pausing? What if your obstacle isn’t opposition but protection?

“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
(Proverbs 14:12, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one situation where you’ve prioritized speed over discernment.
Challenge: Write down three recent frustrations. Circle one to re-examine for God’s warning.

Day 3: Curious Enough to Ask

Balaam’s donkey posed a question, not a rebuke. “Have I ever done this before?” she asked, appealing to their shared history. The prophet’s anger dissolved into curiosity. For the first time, he stopped commanding and started listening. [58:07]

Jesus modeled this when He asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do?” (Mark 10:51). Questions disarm our defenses. They assume we don’t hold all answers – a posture Balaam learned mid-beatdown.

You’ll face a tense conversation today. Will you lead with statements or questions? Practice saying, “Help me understand…” before asserting your view. Whose perspective have you refused to explore because you assumed you already knew?

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.”
(James 1:19, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for someone who challenged you. Ask for curiosity toward their viewpoint.
Challenge: In your next disagreement, ask two questions before stating your position.

Day 4: Grace in Unlikely Barns

Balaam wasn’t Israelite. He served other gods, yet Yahweh spoke through him (Numbers 23:5). The donkey – deemed unclean by Jewish law – became God’s mouthpiece. Heaven’s grammar doesn’t follow our rulebooks. [59:08]

Peter learned this when God told him to eat “unclean” animals (Acts 10:13-15). Prevenient grace works in atheists, rivals, even animals before we label them “holy.” Our task isn’t to gatekeep God’s voice but to recognize it in barns we’d never enter.

Who have you labeled “unlikely” to speak for God? A political opponent? A teenager? A stray animal? How might your prejudice blind you to their message?

“The Lord said, ‘Do not say, “I am too young.” You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.’”
(Jeremiah 1:7, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one group or person you’ve assumed can’t teach you spiritually.
Challenge: Read an article/watch a video by someone you distrust. Note one valid point they make.

Day 5: Cockerels and Second Chances

Before the rooster crowed, Peter swore he’d never deny Christ. After the third crow, he wept (Mark 14:72). Yet that same bird became Peter’s redemption signal – a feathered reminder that failure isn’t final. [43:31]

God still uses creation to convict and restore. A stubborn donkey rerouted a prophet. A rooster’s cry softened an apostle. Your “animal moment” might be a dog’s loyalty after betrayal, a cat’s purr during grief, or birdsong at dawn’s despair.

What creature has mirrored God’s truth to you? When did creation last startle you into repentance or hope? How might you pay better attention today?

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you.”
(Job 12:7, NIV)

Prayer: Thank God for a time creation revealed His truth to you.
Challenge: Spend 10 minutes outside today. Note one natural sign of God’s care.

Sermon Summary

We gather around the strange and clear story of Balaam and his donkey to relearn what it means to listen. We watch God place an angel in the road, a donkey notice the danger, and a human miss what lies before him. We notice how familiarity with divine voice can blind us to other channels of revelation. We learn that God can speak with blazing clarity, and yet also works through quiet, awkward, or unwelcome messengers so that we must widen our hearing. We practice listening like we practice Legos or Simon Says; we read instructions, we practice, we quiet our bodies, and we learn from those who hear differently than we do. We accept that listening does not equal obedience. We open our ears without surrendering judgment immediately, so that discernment and humility can follow hearing. We confess that most of the time God shows up in lives that do not look like our expectations, and we commit to curiosity as the posture that allows empathy to form. We take seriously the claim that prevenient grace reaches people before they name it, so we approach neighbors with the assumption that God already moves in them. We refuse to set up walls of assumed superiority that mute God speaking through those we dislike or dismiss. We practice asking what God might be saying to someone else and allow that question to reshape ministry, conversation, and decision making. We aim to be a people who listen broadly, who test what we hear against Scripture and prayer, and who respond with humility and thoughtful action. We will keep our hands ready to serve, our minds ready to learn, and our hearts ready to be surprised by God’s voice appearing in unexpected places.

Key Takeaways

1. Learn to listen beyond ourselves We name how our habits of spiritual hearing narrow what we perceive. We commit to listening to neighbors, strangers, and even those we disagree with so that God’s movement beyond our expectations can become visible. This posture protects us from mistaking our own certainty for final truth and opens us to correction and blessing. [52:15]
2. God speaks through unexpected voices We accept that God uses unlikely messengers to warn, guide, and bless. We stop privileging only familiar patterns of revelation and pay attention when someone outside our circle points to God at work. We practice treating surprising testimony with thoughtful curiosity rather than instant dismissal. [47:46]
3. Curiosity fosters empathetic listening We cultivate curiosity as the root of true empathy. We ask questions to learn why others think or feel as they do, and that sustained curiosity dissolves easy judgment and creates space for mutual transformation. We allow empathy to shape how we respond, not simply how we feel. [56:55]
4. Prevenient grace invites humble attention We hold the conviction that God is at work in people before they know it. We approach neighbors with a humility that expects divine activity already present, which reorients mission from convincing to discovering and companioning. We let that expectation temper our impulses to correct and sharpen our desire to listen. [59:29]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[25:08] - Series and Opening Prayer
[30:45] - Hymn and Greeting
[31:06] - Simon Says and Listening Game
[32:25] - Introducing Balaam and His Donkey
[46:15] - Balaam Meets the Angel
[47:46] - The Donkey Speaks
[52:15] - Listening to Others
[56:55] - Curiosity and Empathy
[59:29] - Prevenient Grace and Application
[61:15] - Creed and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Numbers 22:21-31 (ESV)
21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 22 But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” 31 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 down and fell on his face.

Observation Questions

In Numbers 22:21-31, what three actions did the donkey take to avoid the angel, and how did Balaam respond each time?
How does the sermon compare practicing listening to playing Simon Says or building with Legos? [34:01] [31:06]
What does the story reveal about Balaam’s assumptions about how God communicates, even though he was a prophet?
According to the sermon, why is curiosity essential for empathy, and how does it relate to the story of Balaam? [56:55]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Balaam, a prophet who clearly heard God’s voice earlier in the story (Numbers 22:12), failed to recognize the angel blocking his path?
The sermon states, “Listening does not equal obedience.” How does this distinction play out in the story of Balaam and his donkey? [55:05]
The donkey asks Balaam, “Is it my habit to treat you this way?” (v. 30). What does this question reveal about the importance of trusting relationships when discerning God’s voice through others?
How might Balaam’s familiarity with divine communication have blinded him to God’s message delivered through an unexpected source? [51:06]

Application Questions

What is one practical way to “practice listening” this week, like following Lego instructions or playing Simon Says? How could this help you notice God’s voice in unexpected places? [34:24]
Think of someone you disagree with or find difficult to listen to. How might approaching them with curiosity (instead of judgment) open you to see God’s prevenient grace at work in their life? [59:29]
When has a “donkey moment” happened in your life—where God used an awkward, unwelcome, or surprising messenger to get your attention? How did you respond initially, and what did you learn?
The sermon warns against mistaking “our own certainty for final truth.” What is one belief or assumption you hold tightly that might need to be tested through listening to others? [52:15]
How could your small group cultivate a habit of “listening broadly” to neighbors, strangers, or those outside your faith community? What tangible step could you take together?
Reflect on a time when you obeyed without truly listening (or listened without obeying). How could discernment and humility have shaped your response differently? [55:23]

Sermon Clips

For a lot of us, to listen is the same thing as to obey. Listening and obeying are not the same thing. Because sometimes, I'm wrong. And I can only assume that if sometimes I'm wrong, you're wrong too. It's wild. Henry knows. Listening and obeying are not the same thing. Listening is about opening ourselves up to the reality that God might be speaking to someone else. Not might, that God is speaking to someone else. [00:55:03] (47 seconds) #ListenDontObey

Asking ourselves, what is god saying to us today? What is god saying to someone else today? How is god speaking to someone else that I need to hear? It's curiosity. We come to the world with a sense of curiosity. And this is something Carrie and I talk about pretty pretty frequently is that empathy. Empathy, feeling kind of not bad for someone, feeling with someone. Empathy under putting yourself in someone else's shoes. Empathy is a function of curiosity. [00:56:39] (44 seconds) #CuriosityDrivesEmpathy

If you're not curious, you can never be empathetic. If you're not curious, you're always going to think you're right. If you're not curious, your donkey is gonna lay down on the path and God's gonna have to make it talk to you to get you to listen. If Balaam had just been curious, because the donkey says, you've ridden me. I've been your donkey your entire life. Have I ever steered you wrong before? Why would I steer you wrong now? If Balaam had just been curious, might have avoided that whole scene. [00:57:23] (41 seconds) #CuriosityOverBlindness

What if god is showing up in other people's lives? What if god is showing up in the lives of people we disagree with? What if god is showing up in the lives of people we think we're better than? What if god is showing up in the lives of people we think just don't have a clue? What if god is showing up in people that we don't like? We're really good like Balaam. We're really good at listening to what we think we should listen to. We're really good listening to people who we think we should listen to. [00:53:31] (50 seconds) #ListenBeyondBias

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All Creatures Great and Small: Listening

Devotional

Day 1: Donkey Eyes on the Road

Day 2: When Angels Narrow Paths

Day 3: Curious Enough to Ask

Day 4: Grace in Unlikely Barns

Day 5: Cockerels and Second Chances

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

All Creatures Great and Small: Listening

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