Now the donkeys belonging to Saul's father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys." – 1 Samuel 9:3

Today's Scripture Reading (April 3, 2022): 1 Samuel 9

Stuff happens. Every day is filled with stuff, some good and some bad. We go to various places and do multiple things. Most of the stuff that happens to us seems mundane and unimportant. But they are things that have to be done. And, usually, we just try to get through those jobs without thinking about how they might shape our day and our lives. Sometimes we miss that the time we spend doing nothing in the morning means that we won't be able to do something important that night.

But sometimes, the mundane is more important than we think it might be. Because of something simple, we find ourselves in a position to make a significant change. Or maybe we miss a tragedy that could have been visited on us because of some small event or delay that made us late. It is the story that Amy Grant told back in the 1980s with her song "Angels."

God only knows the times
My life was threatened just today
A reckless car ran out of gas
Before it ran my way
Near misses all around me
Accidents unknown
Though I never see with human eyes
The hands that lead me home (Amy Grant, Brown Bannister, Gary Chapman,

                                                                       Michael W. Smith).

It is a common theme of our lives, although we often seem to miss it.

Kish had lost some donkeys. It happened; sometimes, animals wander off, and the rancher's job is to send someone out to find the animals. It is why ranchers brand their animals; they put their symbol on the animals so that when the lost or stolen is found, they can prove that the animals are theirs.

But these donkeys apparently went on quite a trip. They could have gone anywhere, but they seem to have made a beeline for Samuel, the prophet and Judge over Israel. And Kish sent his son Saul out to find the donkeys. So many different things could have happened. Kish could have sent someone else to find the donkeys, or the animals could have gone in the opposite direction of the Judge of Israel. But that is not what happened. As a result of all the mundane things that happened that day, Saul was brought into the presence of Samuel, and God told Samuel that this was the one that he had chosen to be King over Israel.

And it all happened because some donkeys ran away, and a father sent his son to find the "dumb animals." But the animals were smart enough to lead Saul straight to Samuel. (Or sometimes God uses the mundane to accomplish his purposes, which can significantly shape our lives if we are paying attention.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 10