Reading this devotional message causes me to think of my own life and the many times I have wished that God would just speak directly to me, in a way that I can understand and can’t miss. I think of the story of Balaam and his donkey in Numbers 22. Balaam’s donkey, which he had ridden many times, rerouted him three times. Each time Balaam beat the donkey. Finally, God opened the donkey’s mouth, and he spoke to Balaam. Instead of paying attention to the out-of-character behavior of the donkey, Balaam beats the animal until his eyes are open to the angel of the Lord. This story causes me to reflect on how many times I have my head down, trudging along, ignoring what could be obvious messages, all the while moaning about how I wish the Lord would speak to me. Is it that the Lord isn’t speaking, or is it that I am not REALLY listening?

Another important consideration is HOW the Lord speaks. When you meet someone and you want to get to know them, you do so by talking with them, by spending time with them and getting to know them. By the same token, if we are to hope to hear the voice of God, we must spend time getting to know him. We do this by study and being in prayer, as well as in His Word. We must know the voice of God if we have any hope of hearing Him.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2022:21-39&version=NIV