Looking into the life of an ant, it gathers and stores up food in the dry season. This food is to be consumed during winter or rather the rainy season. Without a master it is able to do all this with admirable discipline.
A tiny creature it is but even the wisest king, Solomon, derived a lesson from it as he notes in Proverbs 6:6. We can therefore apply this principle in our lives whereby we act in accordance to the season we are in.
Sometimes you will be on the mountain.. Everything is well with you; your faith couldn’t be better rooted in Christ, your business is booming, you are at peace in your family, prayers are answered even before you utter the words. You don’t even see the need to spend time in the prayer closet because it appears that the Lord answers even before you ask of Him. To say the least, you are happy.
At other times you will be in the valley. Here, the tunnels are dark and you fear for your life. You spend a lot of time pleading that God may remember mercy. You attend night vigils and the priest speaks over your life. You become hopeful that your situation will change. However, on going home, nothing changes. You begin to get frustrated.
Sometimes you feel disappointed in God but again are too scared to admit that because it feels like sin. Scripture urges us to not give up but you can’t help feeling hopeless. The heavens seem closed. So many unanswered prayers. The promises of God in your life have not come to pass and you think that He forgot because in your mind, that season has already passed.
There are times when you just want to walk away. I mean, you’ve pursued righteousness but with every drawing closer to God, your life falls apart. Friends walk away, you lose your job, your marriage is shaken, your children are involved in various addictions and you feel helpless. It appears as though your life was better when you were not in pursuit of righteousness.
There are times when you don’t want to pray or rather you don’t have the strength to pray. The more you pray about something, the more the situation worsens. You’ve tarried in God’s presence for the salvation of a family member but the more you pray for them, the deeper they indulge in alcoholism and abuse of various substances. You pray for your investments but every time you invest, the company with which you invest collapses. You pray about your relationship but every time a potential mate is in the picture, when you pray about it, they are nowhere to be seen. You wonder what you are doing wrong. So why tarry when every time you pray misfortunes come your way?
I am learning to invest in prayer when things are going well. At the point when I am on the mountain, I should pray for the times when I will be in the valley because the valley is definitely part of this journey. Just like an ant that stores up food during the harvest, when the food is in plenty and utilizes it during winter , when it gets too hard to keep going, I can draw from my prayer bank and find my strength renewed.
When the clouds have gathered and it is about to rain, may you find the strength to keep going; to remain hopeful that daybreak is coming and the sun will rise again;to keep going regardless.
In your mind, the season may have passed but keep reminding yourself that He is God of perfect timing.
You may not understand the “why” but know that “He has good plans for you” and therefore all things are working out for your good.
