Addison Ant and other members of his colony twittered with worry. They hadn’t been able to collect enough food for winter due to a summer drought. How could they possibly survive?
“I have an idea,” Addison announced to the ant council. “Let’s ask Farmer Ezra to help! He harvested his winter wheat before the drought began. Perhaps he’ll donate a bit to us .”
Addison instinctively brushed his right antennae with a foreleg and looked expectantly at the group. Some were shaking their heads.
“He doesn’t care about us,” countered one.
“Sure he does,” replied Addison. “Farmer Ezra could have destroyed us by now if he’d wanted, but he hasn’t.” Addison paused. “So who will go with me?”
No one answered.
“Then I’ll go by myself,” he declared.
Late that afternoon, Addison marched up the hill toward the farmhouse, about an hour away. He arrived just as Farmer Ezra returned from milking his cows. Taking a deep breath, Addison shouted as loudly as he could. “Kind sir! Kind sir!”
Farmer Ezra looked about for the source of the small voice. His eyes finally rested on an ant whose whole body was a-quiver. He’d never witnessed such behavior. Farmer Ezra bent down to investigate.
And now that Addison had the farmer’s attention, he began to deliver the speech he’d prepared while walking.
“Please, sir. I’ve come from the ant colony in the southeast corner of the pasture. You may have noticed we never approach your house or cause mischief as other ants do.
“But I have come today because we’ve been unable to gather enough seeds during the drought to carry us through the winter. If you could spare us a few handfuls of wheat grains, then we can survive until spring. I beg you, sir!”
Farmer Ezra heard the desperation in the little ant’s voice. His eyes drifted to the fields where weeks earlier acres and acres of wheat had flourished.
Even after a semi had taken 20,000 tons of wheat to the train, his personal supply of wheatberries was plentiful. He wouldn’t even miss a few handfuls.
Farmer Ezra smiled down upon the ant. “All right. I will help you,” he replied. “Tomorrow morning when I take the cows to pasture, I’ll bring a small sack of wheat for your colony. Then you and your friends can transport the berries down into your tunnels.”
“Oh, kind sir!” Addison Ant’s antennae danced with glee. “I cannot thank you enough. Never will we forget your compassion!”
* * *
No doubt you can guess that Addison typifies us— minute (compared to God), needy, and often helpless.
Farmer Ezra[1] represents our Heavenly Father: all-sufficient, capable, and compassionate.
Note in the verse above the psalmist did not say God will immediately deliver. Though his help frequently comes in the moment, as it did for Addison Ant, sometimes we have to wait [2].
Ah! But even then God provides help–building our confidence, strengthening our faith, and granting peace–as we:
Hope in his promises.
Promises such as Isaiah 41:13:
I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you,
Do not fear; I will help you.
Isaiah 41:13 NIV (emphasis added)
Other promises worthy of contemplation include: Psalm 46:1, Isaiah 41:10, and Hebrews 4:16.
Embrace God’s truth.
Like Addison and his fellow ants, we are insufficient in ourselves. But with King David we can affirm:
When King David wrote that verse, he was a hunted man. Yet he didn’t question God’s help, he affirmed and embraced it. We’d do well to do the same.
Lean on God’s record of faithfulness.
Consider how God has proven himself throughout our lives—in his provision, protection, and direction.
Review his help in the past and experience joy.
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.
Psalm 126:3 NIV
Pray with confidence.
We can pray as King Asa did:
And so, even while we wait for help, God provides help as we:
- H ope in his promises
- E mbrace his truth
- L ean on his record of faithfulness
- P ray with confidence in his all-sufficiency
Addison Ant would also have us remember: whatever our trouble, it is minuscule compared to God’s power and resources!
Notes:
[1] Ezra in Hebrew means help, support, assistance, aid, either human or divine
[2] A previous post explores the topic of waiting on God: https://nancyaruegg.com/2021/07/22/are-we-there-yet/
Sources:
Charles Spurgeon, Morning by Morning, 18.
https://dtermination.com/what-do-ants-do-in-the-winter
Photo credits: http://www.rawpixel.com; http://www.freerangestock.com (falkenpost); http://www.flickr.com (Jason and Kris Carter); http://www.canva.com; http://www.pxhere.com; http://www.pexels.com (Valentin Antonucci); http://www.pexels.com (Simon Berger).
From the Inside Out 