The Donkey He Rode in On

The donkey had never carried anyone before. But he was liking this.

People were spreading palm branches under his feet like he was walking the red carpet. Crowds were shouting. Praises were rising. Heads were turning. 

This was no ordinary trip into town. Everybody seemed happy to see him. He started feeling pretty important.

“Look at all this. Finally, I’m being recognized. The branches. The attention. The celebration. About time somebody noticed what I bring to the table.”

It felt like it was all for him.

But of course, the celebration was never about the donkey. 

It was about the One he carried.

The moment it becomes about the donkey, the wrong one is getting the applause.

When people compliment me on ministry, I usually respond with a simple “thank you,” and often follow it with: “I’m just the donkey He rode in on.”

It usually gets a laugh. But I’m actually being sincere. For me, it’s not a deflection, it’s a declaration.

If we ever start thinking that the gifting is about us, the anointing is for us, the influence belongs to us, or the fruit of ministry points back to us, we are just as deluded as a donkey thinking palm branches were for him.

They weren’t honoring the donkey. They were welcoming Jesus.

Any strength we carry, any wisdom we speak, any beauty that shows up in our lives—any healing, ministry, breakthrough, or influence—it is all about the One we carry, not the one doing the carrying.

The donkey’s role was simple—Carry the King.

“Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey…” — Zechariah 9:9 

Jerusalem donkeys carry the bold markings of a cross—a dark stripe down their back and across their shoulders. It’s a reminder written into their design. Carriers of the King… marked by the cross.

Not defined by applause, but by what they carry.

Not living for recognition, but for service.

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily…’” — Luke 9:23 

The same pattern holds for us. 

We don’t have to paint a cross on our backs—but we are called to live as those marked by it and ready to bear it:

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• Available and Ready

The donkey was tied up, waiting, unnoticed—until the moment Jesus needed him. There was no résumé, no preparation platform, no public recognition. Just availability.

Kingdom life doesn’t begin with prominence. It begins with presence—being where God has placed us, ready when He calls. Heaven often interrupts the ordinary with the eternal, and readiness positions us to respond.

“The Lord hath need of him.” — Mark 11:3

“Here I am. Send me!” — Isaiah 6:8 

Simple availability places us right in the middle of what God is doing.

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• Bearing His Presence

The donkey’s significance came from what it carried. Its value was imparted by proximity to Jesus.

The same is true for us. We were never meant to manufacture glory, only to carry it. When we stay close to Him, what rests on us is unmistakable—not because of how great we are, but because of Who we carry.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” — Colossians 1:27

“My presence will go with you…” — Exodus 33:14

When presence is the priority, glory goes to the One who deserves it. 

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• Following His Lead

The donkey didn’t choose the route, the timing, or the destination. It simply yielded to the direction of the One leading.

Surrender is not passive—it’s responsive. It’s strength under submission. When we relinquish control, it releases God’s purposes and plans.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart… and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” — Romans 8:14 

Surrender leads us exactly where we are meant to be.

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• Guarding the Glory

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The crowd was loud. The praise was real. The atmosphere was electric. But the glory had a rightful place—and it wasn’t the donkey.

We live in a world that rewards visibility, celebrates personality, and elevates platform. But Kingdom culture redirects attention. It resists self-exaltation and directs glory to the One worthy of it.

"He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

“Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory…” — Psalm 115:1

When the focus is right, the cry rises again: “Hosanna in the highest.” 

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We are not the headline. We are not the hero. We are not the hope.

We are carriers—of His presence, His power, His message, His mercy.

Heaven still has need of willing vessels—humble servants who will carry the King into homes, conversations, cities, broken places, and divine appointments.

Not drawing attention to ourselves, but carrying His presence into every place He sends us.

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Let’s live as people who carry Him well. Let’s reject the pull toward self-promotion and embrace the call to faithful service.

Let’s choose surrender over spotlight, obedience over recognition, stewardship over status.

Available. Bearing His presence. Following His lead. Giving Him all the glory.

Encouraging one another. Strengthening one another. Reminding one another:

We’re just the ones He rides in on.