Thinking About Ants and God’s Love

Anthills cover our yard. Step outside and it won’t be long before an ant finds you. I don’t like ants.

I have told those ants to go away. I step on them when I see them. I spray water and other things on them. We put things on their anthills that they don’t like – they just move to a new location. They don’t understand my communication. I don’t speak ant.

This is probably a horrible analogy, but I thought about those ants when I read the first few verses in Hebrews this morning.

“God, who at sundry (various) times and in divers (varied) manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” (Hebrews 1:1 – 3, KJV).

Just like I have tried to communicate with my (I can’t believe I claim them) ants, God tried to communicate with people. He tried over a long period of time in many different ways through the prophets and with signs and wonders. He cared for them, and He corrected them when they strayed. Think about Noah’s flood, the Tower of Babel, forty years of wandering, years in captivity, and so many other things in the Old Testament. Some people listened and followed. Many did not.

There is one huge difference in God’s communication with people and my communication with ants, though. I don’t love the ants. I don’t even like them. I didn’t create them. I just want them to go away.

God’s communication stems from His love. He is the Creator. His desire is to draw His people back to Himself.

His love is so intense that He made the decision to become one of us, so that He could speak to us in a way that we could understand. That is why Jesus came – to speak our language, to show us the Father.

I love that these verses in Hebrews tell us exactly who Jesus is.

He is:

• The Heir of all things

• The One who made the worlds

• The brightness of the Father’s glory

• The express image of the Father’s person

and He upholds all things by the word of His power.

Wow!

After He by Himself died and rose again to purge our sins, He sat down by the Majesty, the Father, on high. He resumed His rightful place.

Those ants are never going to understand my methods of communication. They will keep building those anthills, and I will keep stepping on them in frustration. I can’t become an ant, and I wouldn’t if I could, because I don’t love ants.

But God loves me. He loved me enough to send His Son so that I could know Him and know His love and understand His love.

We have no reason to misunderstand God’s intent and His heart. No reason.

Just look at Jesus. Just look at the cross.

^“But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, KJV).

Father, thank You for wanting to communicate with me. Thank You for sending Jesus, Your Son, so that I would know what You are really like, so that I would know Your love. Thank You for His sacrifice that allows me to call You Father, to come before You forgiven. I am amazed at Your patience and Your mercy and grace that has reached out through the ages to show Your love. I am so in awe of You. Thank You for loving me. I love you back, Lord.

Photo – Courtesy of Pexels – My ants wouldn’t cooperate. Once again, a failure to communicate.