Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. – Proverbs 6:6-11
Ants are self motivated to make it
It has no commander, no overseer or ruler…
The only people that you should tell what to do are kids. Adults should know what they are responsible for doing every day. Just like we see with the ant, they don’t have a ruler but they go out every day to collect food because they know that their survival during the winter depends on it.
Ants have great foresight
yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
During the summer months we may see this as a time to relax and enjoy the weather but during this season the ant is hard at work collecting food to store up for the winter. We don’t know when the seasons in our life will change but we need to recognize when we are in a season of hard work vs a season when we won’t be able to work and the opportunities are gone. Pray for discernments to recognize these seasons and make the correct decisions in your life.
Ants are purpose driven
And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. – Hebrews 10:38-39
If you ever seen a ant trying to get to some food you will see that it is very determined. If you put a rock or obstacle between that ant and the food, the ant will crawl around or over it to get to what it sets it’s mind to get. Likewise we need to have the same determination to accomplish whatever God has placed in front of us to accomplish. There may be an obstacle that try’s to block us but it’s not time for us to shrink back but we need to pray and seek God to overcome it.
Ants work together
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25
If there is ever a crumb of food that is too big for one ant to cary, you will often see two or more ants working together to carry that crumb back to their home for everyone to enjoy. We need to be like these ants as well and encourage and help other believers do great things for the glory of the Kingdom of God.
Ants are stronger than you think
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9
From our perspective ants are tiny insects and we often just step of them to kill them if they ever get in our house. But if we look at how strong an ant is compared to its size we would be amazed. An ant can carry 10–50 times their own weight. To put that in perspective, it’s like a grown man that weighs 180 pounds being able to lift and carry a full grown cow! As believers God also know the strength that he has placed in us. When challenges and obstacles come our way we all need to learn how to rest on the strength of God to overcome those challenges. So I’m not saying go lift a cow, but when you have challenges that you don’t feel like you can overcome, pray and ask God for spiritual strength to overcome and be successful.