⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸ A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰ When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹ The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Dear God, what did they think they were doing? As they were laying their cloaks on the road, what did they think was going on? Did they understand who they were seeing? Was it just a mob mentality that had taken over? It says they said, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” which makes me think they understood that he was the Messiah, but there was no way they could know what that meant. Did they think they were on the brink of revolution? Were they ready to go to war? Were they surprised by him riding on the foal of a donkey?

There are so many times when I respond to a situation without understanding it fully. Sometimes my actions are driven by those around me and how they are responding. Sometimes I just go on instinct. And sometimes I am actually able to slow the process down enough to think through my actions a little. Our building issue is an example. We have to perform some major repairs on our building. There are a lot of issues to resolve. Who should pay for it? How will we fix the building? How will we continue to run our programs we offer the public throughout the repair process? There are times when I have to make an instant decision. There are times when people around me tell me how to respond and I have to discern whether or not it is the right thing to do. Then there are times when I am able to slow it down, think about it, sometimes pray about it, and then choose a course of action. Those last times are the ones that usually work out the best.

Father, help me to not follow an instinctive, mob mentality, but to follow the still small voice inside of me that you use to speak to me. Help me to understand that you are there to help me. You are there to take over the process. You are there to carry this burden for me if only I will let you. Love others through me. Glorify yourself through me. Draw others to yourself through me so that they might have your peace and spread your glory too.