During a weekly Bible study I lead in a local mission congregation, we looked at a devotional that focused on Luke 19:28-40 and the story of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem (this story is also told in Matthew 21 and Mark 11).  As we studied the gospel of Luke, we talked about how we already know the end of this story!  However, those in this story didn't know the end (that Jesus rose from the dead for our eternal life).  We tried to imagine being part of the crowd that day as an onlooker without knowing the ending of the story.  Would we be the Pharisees telling Jesus to get his disciples in order?  Would we be the disciples cheering Jesus on and laying down their cloaks before him?  Would we be the owners of the colt that watched their never-ridden animal walk away right under their noses?  Would we just stand on the outskirts and soak it all in trying to understand the magnitude of what we were witnessing?

Our devotional asked us to consider being the owners of the colt.  I can't help but wonder what my response would be if someone walked up to me today and demanded my car keys saying that Jesus needed my Ford Focus hatch-back.  What does Jesus need to do with my transportation?  Does he have groceries to haul or items to donate to the local thrift store?  That's what I use my simple car for.  I use it to get around as I don't live within walking distance of much of anything.  We cannot be certain what those colt owners had planned for their precious animal.  We don't know if they protested or if they knew deep down that God was up to something and that their animal would soon carry the Messiah.  I don't know if they knew the facts or understood why their animal had been hijacked.  After all, the disciples were to only tell them that “the Lord needed it."  I personally doubt they understood the magnitude of this prophetic moment (see Zecheriah 9:9) but maybe they had a gut feeling to not protest. 

Have you ever had that gut feeling?  You don't understand what is happening or why, but you're certain you need to say yes to the situation and ultimately to God.  You're certain God needs you to "untie your colt" and hand it over for his work.  Maybe it's stepping out in faith to give up something, go somewhere, ask a hard question, or leave a current situation.  Whatever it is, you feel the nudge of the Holy Spirit comforting you to let it go, just untie it and let it go, even if you don't understand the outcome.  Maybe you too have something to journey toward that you don't fully understand?  You can't see the big picture just yet and you don't know the ending to the story.  However, you understand you must untie your colt and watch God do the rest.

This story gives me comfort and helps with discernment.  It reminds me that while we may not have the opportunity to watch Jesus’ grand entrance, we do know the end of the story.  God has given us first-hand knowledge today as we study and learn from the scriptures.  We know that Jesus is our risen Savior.  We may not understand every detail of daily life, yet we do know the details of our eternal life.  That fact alone is worth untying a colt for any day, right?