The Persistence of an Ant

Don Miller | 18 June 2020

Elijah prayed seven times for there to be rain. There was no hint that God heard him. But then things wildly changed. “It came about at the seventh time, that he said, ‘Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.’ And he said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.”– 1 Kings 18:44. Elijah persisted before there was any sign that God was hearing him.

Scientists did a clever experiment with ants. They placed a sweet syrup on top of a little pedestal. Tiny ants nearby could detect the aroma of food. They tried to climb the pedestal to reach it but were repeatedly knocked off by the scientists doing the experiment. The little worker ants kept trying for nearly 100 times before they gave up. The conclusion? God hard-wired some pretty wild determination in His little creatures.
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We get discouraged too easily sometimes. Some friends were trying to help a paralyzed young man get to Jesus. No doubt they tried repeatedly to do so, but they failed. Did they give up and go home? No. They got hugely creative. They climbed on top of the roof, took it apart and lowered their beloved friend down! And, most importantly, Jesus responded to this clever persistence and completely healed their friend.
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George Mueller continually ran into problems in taking care of the orphans God gave him, which eventually numbered 2000. He never grew tired of praying, though. He also creatively liquidated assets to keep their boat afloat. Did he sour when things got bumpy? No. He and his staff just kept on.
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He caught on to God’s bigger purpose in his Spirit-led enterprise. He realized that its first purpose was not its success. Its first purpose was to help other believers trust God that He could take care of them and also take care of His enterprises for them. So, the bumps became places of unexpected beauty as God creatively helped the persistent little band. And these “helps” became faith strengtheners to millions of believers in their own personal walks with Christ as the days, months and years followed.
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Be of good courage. In the world you have problems, BUT, your God has completely overcome the world. The one who created the ant and stretched out the heavens has more than enough in His arsenal to meet your situations according to His riches in glory.
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George Mueller said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety..” He added, “The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.” Make rejoicing in your wise and powerful Creator your goal for today and be creatively persistent like never before!