A colt is a young donkey, a donkey that’s never been ridden or used before. We may feel as raw and inexperienced as a colt or as battered and useless as a donkey in a donkey sanctuary, but the truth is that God has chosen each of us (Eph 1:4), knows us from conception (Ps 139:16) and has good works planned in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:10) Paul reminds us that ‘God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.’ (1 Cor 1:27) Most Biblical heroes were reluctant, knowing their own strength and ability were not enough to fulfil God’s call, but God is more interested in our availability than our ability. All our work has to be done in His strength which is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)
So often, however, we feel restricted and unable to serve God effectively. We feel as tethered as the donkey was before being untied! Jesus said that the truth has power to set us free (John 8:32) and that ‘if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.’ (John 8:36)
We can be tied up inwardly, driven by guilt or fear or shame, caring more about what other people think and say about us than what God says. Past events may have left us crippled by shame or guilt or disappointment and disillusionment. We may be tethered by low expectations, never believing God could use us or our church to achieve great things. We may feel tied by family commitments or our jobs or our personal situations, but God doesn’t want us to live in narrowness and gloom. He wants to untie us, to set us free, to let us loose, even as the crowds cried out in praise and Jesus acknowledged if they were silent, the rocks would cry out! (Luke 19:40) Freedom was the colt’s experience and it can be ours too: ‘He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.’ (Job 36:16)