Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

The devotional for today titled A Baboon, A Donkey, and Me, was written by James Banks.

Jack knew how to put trains on the right track.

In nine years of work, he never missed a track switch as locomotives drew near the Udnidge South Africa station indicating by their whistles the

direction they were to go. Jack was also a Chachma baboon. He was cared for by railway signal man James Wide, and Jack in turn

took care of James. Wide had lost both his legs in a fall between moving rail cars. He trained

Jack to help him with tasks around the house, and soon Jack assisted him at work also, learning how to respond to the

incoming train's signals by pulling corresponding levers for their tracks. The Bible tells of

another animal that helped someone in a surprising way, Balam's donkey. Balam was a pagan prophet

serving a king who intended to harm Israel.

As Balam was riding his donkey en route to assist the king in Numbers 22,

the Lord opened the donkey's mouth, and it spoke to Balam.

The donkey's speech was part of the way God opened Balim's eyes,

warning him of imminent danger and kept him from harming his people.

A railway baboon? A talking donkey? Why not? If God can use these amazing animals for good purposes,

it's not at all far-fetched to believe he can use you and me as well. Looking to him and seeking his strength,

we can accomplish more than we ever thought possible.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading

is from the Old Testament book of Numbers,

Chapter 22, verses 21 through 31.

Balam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabite officials.

But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him.

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