Are You As Wise As an Ant?
Winter 2023
Ants are one of the tiniest, but most amazing creatures that God made on day six of Creation.
Maybe you only think of ants as interrupting your picnics, or maybe you’ve had some painful bites if you’ve accidentally stepped on an anthill, but ants are fascinating!
Did you know that ants don’t have ears? They use vibrations in the ground to “hear”! Did you know ants have two stomachs? One is for their own food and the other is for food they share with other ants. Did you know that ants are really strong? They can carry up to fifty times their own bodyweight! That would be like a grownup carrying a rhinoceros!
In the Bible God tells us that we should pay attention to ants because we can learn from them. In Proverbs 6:6–8 King Solomon writes, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”
So, what can we learn from ants?
An ant’s job is to gather food and he works very hard at that job. God expects us to be hardworking in whatever job He has given us. Your job might be completing schoolwork, doing chores at home, being friendly to a new kid at the park, or playing with a sibling. When you give your tasks your best effort, you are honoring and pleasing God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Ants work hard all season long. God expects diligent work from us all the time, not just once or twice. In Ecclesiastes 9:10 God says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Ants don’t need a guide or ruler telling them what to do. God gave ants instincts so they don’t have to be told what job to complete—they just know what to do. Sometimes we need a parent or teacher to tell us our next task, but God has also given us the Bible. God’s Word tells us some important daily jobs: “Children, obey your parents,” “Be ye kind one to another,” “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,” “Be content with such things as ye have,” and lots more!
Ants also prepare for the future. The reason ants gather food all summer long is so that they have a store for the cold winter months when they must huddle under cover for warmth. Our plans for the future are much more important than ants’ plans. Our future includes an eternity—a time that will never end. We can’t prepare by gathering stuff, but we can prepare our hearts by recognizing our sinfulness, asking God for forgiveness for our sins, and accepting Jesus’ perfect work on the cross for our salvation. After we’ve done that, we’ll want to live holy lives, longing to please God in everything that we do while we wait for a future in heaven with Him.
The next time you see a tiny ant crawling on the ground or stealing a crumb from your picnic, remember that God tells us to consider the ant’s ways because there’s lots for us to learn.
Mrs. Lois Carper | Member of Reformation Bible Church, Dublin, MD