Sunday of Holy Week: "The Lord Has Need of it"

Each year for several years, my Holy Week tradition has included setting aside my usual quiet time materials and instead read through a Parallel Gospels chronologically (reading Sunday of Holy Week's events on Sunday, Mondays on Monday, etc.).

Each year, God teaches me something new. This year is no exception. Today's lesson was on the role someone played entirely "off scene". Someone whose name we don't know, but whose actions fulfilled a prophecy. Someone who didn't need to hear anything other than "The Lord has need of it."

"Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.'" And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. And some of those standing there said to them, "What are you doing, untying the colt?" And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. (Mark 11:2-6 ESV)

Whoever this colt belonged to didn't wake up that morning and tie out their colt with the thought of it being gone by nightfall. They didn't know that colt would have an important role to play in the fulfillment of prophecy. I don't have to know all the cultural elements involved to know there is a lesson here for me: Whatever I have that Jesus needs should be released immediately.

Resources, talents, goods, time -- I should hold it all loosely. Whenever I am asked to give up something that I had other plans for, I should only need to hear "the Lord has need of it".

Under His authority, the simplest colt becomes witness to glory. Under His authority, my simple offerings can become tools for the kingdom.

What is the Lord asking of you today? What of yours does the Lord have need of?

Let's commit to letting it go for Him.