Listen to the donkey  – Devotions for a Busy Business Person, no. 227

I am finishing my work in Korea and am reflecting on the impact of the environment on your business and the impact on your business on the environment.

“Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Numbers 22:28

The story of Balaam (Numbers 22:21-35) is a remarkable one of God intervening using angels and donkeys. 

I like the donkey. I see him speaking as a representative of creation. There are many verses in the bible where creation sings, speaks and claps their hands (vis. Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 96:1-13). What are you hearing from Balaam’s donkey regarding your business? It is hard enough to take care of the financial bottom line, have social significance (especially in providing the dignity of work), & to preach the gospel through your words and your hands; yet to run your business well, you need to also understand what creation is saying about the impact of the environment on you (water scarcity, energy insecurity, or even poor air pollution leading to employee absenteeism) and also your impact on the environment. You can be an environmental (and economic) blessing by improving energy efficiency, using space wisely and reducing inputs. And some of you are actually working on environmental technologies!

One of the reasons you need to be environmental stewards is because God is seen in the book of creation Romans 1:20. God is a lot easier to see when the air and water are clear and the soil is rich.

Prayer

God, help me hear your voice through creation. May I steward it well.

Amen

¹

1. This devotion was inspired in part from a devotion presented by Maria Alejandra Andrade at the 2024 Global Creation Care Forum
   ↩︎