The Lord Needs It (Palm Sunday)

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The Lord Needs It

by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Audio (6:24)

Donkey Donkeys are notoriously stubborn. Or, as one donkey psychologist opined, a donkey's natural reaction is to freeze when he senses danger, and then wait to assess the situation.

So they're not really stubborn. Just careful ... Maybe!

On Palm Sunday two thousand years ago or so, it is time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem as King. And so he arranges for a donkey to fulfill the ancient prophecy of Zechariah:

"See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey."¹

The Lord Needs It

"Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"²

Someone does challenge the disciples as they are getting the donkey.

"What are you doing, untying that donkey? He isn't yours!"

"The Lord needs him," they say, and then go ahead unhindered, untie the colt and bring it to Jesus, who mounts the young colt and rides him into the Holy City. In so doing Jesus fulfills prophecy, and sets off a sequence of events that end, not in a gruesome crucifixion on Friday, but in a glorious resurrection early the following Sunday morning.

I am struck by the words the disciples are given to say should their assignment be questioned: "The Lord needs it."

First, the disciples need to calm the owners, then the young donkey itself. "The Lord needs it." Those words are enough.

Does the Lord Really Need Me?

Sometimes I've wondered if the Lord really needs me. What difference do I make to the Lord, among all the billions on the earth? And the philosopher in me wonders how a truly omnipotent God could ever need anything or anybody? But I quiet these thoughts.

Jesus needs a particular donkey this day, one that is unridden, unbroken. God's purposes forever set apart this particular donkey as the one the Lord uses. Maybe, later, the owners put up a sign on their fence:

"Jesus of Nazareth rode on this very donkey!"

Why this particular donkey? Why on this particular day? We don't really know, but he does.

When I was nine years old, I became acutely aware that I hadn't given my life to Christ. That was my issue. Not, do I believe? But, will I give myself to God entirely, unreservedly, however he wants to use me?

For weeks I struggled with the realization that the Lord wanted me to give myself to him, and I was resisting. Kind of like a young, fearful, stubborn donkey. And then came the day when Jesus overcame my fears and I walked forward to pray with the pastor, my resistance over.

The Lord Calls for You

The Lord needs me. That's boastful, you say. Perhaps, but true. He called for me, and now I'm available whenever and wherever he wants to use me.

Once I was like that donkey. Unbroken. Skittish. Prancing. But as I become comfortable with the Master, I begin to enjoy our rides. I look forward to it. To be needed, desired, wanted, used by the Master is an amazing privilege!

My dear friend, Jesus needs you. He's picked you out. Now he is calling you for his purposes. Are you willing? Are the words, "The Lord needs it," enough for you?

Or will you be stubborn, selfish and fearful so that you freeze, refusing to move.

Relax and trust him. Jesus knows how to calm you, how to train you, how to use you in ways that will forever mark your life with glory. Relax, and let him take the rope without any more drama. It'll be okay, I promise you.

The story of Palm Sunday begins with a wonderful word: "The Lord needs it." That is enough. Permission granted.

My friend, the Lord needs you! Say, "Yes."

[1] Zechariah 9:9.

[2] Luke 19:30.

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