May Saturday Spiritual Uplift - Ants in the Pantry!

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. (Eph. 6:13-18, NLT)

Something moved. I saw it from the corner of my eye. For a moment I excused it as a shadow, but I had a hunch it was more than that. After I had pulled a couple of napkins from their basket in the pantry I stopped and lifted it—and screamed. Jointed black dots on a hodgepodge of legs scrambled from the disturbance and the light—ants. I soon discovered they were actually foraging the honey, which had dripped onto the shelf in a couple of spots. One of those sticky places I had inadvertently overlooked.

I pulled everything off that shelf and the next. Soon my countertops were covered with bags and boxes from rice to cereal, canned goods, crackers and more. What a mess! I peeled fairly new paper off the shelves. I wiped down anything remotely sticky, tossed out anything that hadn’t been sealed properly and was sweet. I bagged up the remains and waited.

We had squashed as many ants as we could catch, but still, some hid in the crevices. I had scrubbed the shelves clean, and each evening a few less ants returned. After a few days of enduring messy counter tops, I was able to place clean shelf paper and rearrange the cupboards, returning the contents. Every evening I was on ant patrol. Each day I found less of them and eventually I sprinkled cayenne pepper on the shelves to keep them away, which seemed to help.

Me. Against. The ants. Though I have a bigger brain and more brawn, the ants had been a formidable foe, an irritation to overcome in their relentless pursuit of honey. Even the Lord told us in Proverbs 6:6: Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
 Learn from their ways and become wise!

We have a greater foe in the spiritual realm, an invisible foe: A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Eph. 6:10-12, NLT)

Yet God is so much greater than the devil and his army. We have an infinite resource in in the Holy Spirit. He battles on our behalf in ways we can’t even fathom. Invisible ways. Sometimes, when our prayers our answered, the veil is peeled back and we see the victory that Jesus has won. Perhaps someone we’ve been praying for many years comes back to the faith or newly finds it, loved ones are freed from the grip of deceit or addiction, marriages are restored; we ourselves, have our eyes opened anew to truth. Perhaps the Lord gives us supernatural grace to endure something in a way we didn’t think possible. Whatever it may be, we have a glimpse of victories in a holy, invisible realm. How much more haven't we seen of the Lord Jesus, commander-in-chief of His own army, winning on our behalf?

Don’t give up hope or quit the battle. The Lord’s power is so much greater than
the accuser of the brethren, infinitely more so than my power over the ants,
for which I am very thankful.

Lord, please help us to put on Your armor each day, to remember that Your power is beyond all others and to know that You are always with us, fighting our battles. Help us to rest in You. In Jesus’s name, amen.