This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat it again with his staff. Then the LORD caused the donkey to speak. "What have I done to you that deserves your beating me these three times?" it asked Balaam.
"Because you have made me look like a fool!" Balaam shouted. "If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!"
"But I am the same donkey you always ride on," the donkey answered. "Have I ever done anything like this before?"
"No," he admitted. Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam fell face down on the ground before him. Numbers 22:27-31
Balaam's infuriating donkey kept stopping in the road or going off to the side—anything but proceeding like he was supposed to. Balaam couldn't see what his donkey saw, so he kept yelling at it and beating it, trying to make it "behave."
The fact was, Balaam's donkey stopped in order to protect him from unseen harm—death, actually. When the donkey miraculously spoke to him, it reminded him, "Hey bud—we have history together. Have I ever done anything like this before? Yo—pay attention. Something is going on here. Give me the benefit of the doubt."
I wonder how many times God gives us the "No," or "Stop," and we get all bent out of shape because He won't "behave" for us and give us what we want. We yell and scream and curse Him, forgetting our history with Him and how faithful and good He has always been to us. We don't realize that He is truly sparing us from unseen danger.
When facing closed doors or unanswered prayers, instead of doubting God or believing the worst about Him, choose trust. He knows this road, and He knows the dangers that lie in wait. Be patient until He clears the way and opens doors that are truly right for you.