There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces. 

As I was reading this chapter, I was struck by the various grouped lists….[things that are never satisfied] ~ [things that are too wonderful] ~ [things that are disquieting {disquiet is an interesting word}] ~ [things that are wise] ~ [things that go/do well].

These lists have always interested me, and I am not exactly sure why- because I am NOT a “list maker” person. But having a list does help me stay focused in a task… 

or more accurately, having a list helps me REMEMBER what task I was doing before I got that glass of juice for my 4 year old. { 🙂 }

So, I purposed to learn something specific from at least one list while reading through it… and this was the one.

Even though these 4 creatures are rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things… the Lord says they are wise.

Of course, God put these instincts into their very nature; but since God calls those instincts wisdom, I am going to take notice!

While I am only one person, and I am not very strong, I can make preparation for what is foreseeable.

The ants know, by that instinct, that they must prepare food for winter.

I know, as a mother, that children grow! I can plan and shop sales accordingly for their clothing. I also know that everyone in my family enjoys eating. every.single.day… and I can prepare meal plans for efficient and frugal shopping, and I can plan simple meals for days I know we will be busy. 

So, while we cannot truly know what a day will bring forth, God still wants us to use some foresight and common sense and plan!

Though man can live in a myriad of places, with various structures to call home, I do know that planting my dwelling on a solid [stone] foundation is wise. And beyond my physical house, building my life and the life of my family on the Rock that is Christ… that is the only way we will last. Having that sure foundation is what keeps our family together in tough times. Those conies know what they are doing!

There is strength in numbers. Obviously, there are times the few has a mighty voice… but only because the multitude is failing to speak. Locusts have no leader, yet they know that they must stay together to live. 

These little creatures can literally wipe out entire fields of crops. If there were just 10 or 20 of them at a time, the farmer could combat them… but when there are hundreds of thousands at once, they win. They do not argue or compete; they just stick together.

As a believer, I see a principle here that often gets blurred or ignored. We cannot align ourselves with those whose doctrine is clearly opposed to salvation by faith through Christ alone, though there are many who blur that line. But then those who do not blur this line seem to ignore it and are often found attacking each other from within over rather petty issues…. and so we do NOT win. We must “stick together” in Christ to make a difference. [Also, not trying to belittle taking a stand. There is a time and place for that.]

And then, just as a spider simply weaves its web wherever it is, when I realize there is something I can do, and I just DO IT because God asks it of me, I can have a far-reaching influence. I may not actually ever speak to a king, but I have heard of the testimony of a small child reaching far and wide… simply because the opportunity to speak for Christ was seized. Spiders often get a ‘bad rap’-I despise to find them in my house!- yet we can learn to simply keep on. We must weave our web, sometimes over and over, and live our life for Christ in the mundane daily tasks. And then… just as cobwebs overtake an abandoned structure, our Godly influence can influence the next generation. But only if we just do right.