Heaving a loud and frustrated sigh, I began another Google search for a helpful tutorial. Who knew learning to format this document would be as time-consuming as writing it? After a few hours of circling between internet videos and my document, I finally found the steps needed to correctly format my headings and page numbers. Throughout the grueling process, I felt tempted (many times) to give up.

Whenever I feel I’m spinning my wheels, I find myself wondering, what’s the point? But then I remember a Bible story about King Saul, the first king of Israel. Before he became king, Saul experienced the same frustration I do. We find this story in the ninth and tenth chapters of 1 Samuel.

As a means of transporting goods, donkeys played an important role in Saul’s culture. When some of his family’s donkeys became lost, Saul’s father sent him to look for them. Taking one of their servants with him, Saul searched the countryside for three days. Unable to find them, Saul decided to give up and return home. But his servant suggested they get advice from the prophet of God, Samuel. Neither Saul nor his servant could have imagined how God had been working behind the scenes:

The day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel: “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Appoint him to lead my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people, and I have listened to their cry.” (1 Samuel 9:15-16 NIV)

Saul set out to look for lost donkeys, but they had already been found (1 Samuel 9:20). God used the situation to arrange a meeting between Samuel and Saul. In the midst of Saul’s ordinary life, God gave him an extraordinary gift:

Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? (1 Samuel 10:1 NIV)

How could Saul have known his futile wanderings looking for lost donkeys would lead him to being anointed as the first King of Israel? If he had given up in frustration and returned home, he would have missed that moment with Samuel.

It’s so easy for me in the midst of my mundane everyday life to forget how the Creator of the Universe interacts with my world. Like Saul, I never know exactly how God will use my daily situations. Sometimes He sends a Samuel who inspires me to dream big for God. Sometimes He sends a friend, like Saul’s servant, who encourages me to seek spiritual advice. Other times the struggle simply strengthens my character. If I’m not careful, I will miss seeing the ways He is working in my life.

Wherever the road leads me next, I want to see the ways my extraordinary God is interacting in my ordinary moments. Wherever your journey takes you, I pray you can do the same.