Hello! I’m Alice, and I’m an Ant - a Harvester Ant, and I live with my family and friends in a colony. It’s like a farm really and we all work very hard gathering the seeds which we take into one of our rooms where we sort and take off the hulls, or shells, then some of us carry the shells outside the farm as we like to be clean and tidy. The seeds are then taken to a lower room where we store them for the winter. These lower rooms are very cosy, and make sure the seeds don’t get wet when it rains. Yes, we are kept very busy as we search for food, sort it, store it, and tidy away any pebbles grass or weeds around our home. No wonder the Bible says we are wise, and lazy people should learn a lesson from us.
As we are so busy you would think that we have a very strong leader to tell everyone what to do, but we haven’t. We watch the older ones - that’s how we learn. When we see them looking after the very young ones we go and help them, and when we know they are going out to look for food, we join them. It’s a good way to learn and then when we get older we know we shall have to teach the younger ones too. It’s very good to be in a large family like ours, as we all learn how to help each other, especially when anything large has to be carried.
Well, now that I have told you a little about ourselves, do you think you know us now? You do? That’s good. Then I can tell you my story about how I saw an Angel!
It was when the older ones were going out to look for food.
‘Who is coming with us?’ they called.
‘Me!’ I shouted. ‘I am.’
Lots of my friends also shouted ‘I am too.’
The older ones seemed to know where they were going, so we happily trotted behind them. We knew at that time that our country was in a sad state. In fact, many of the people of Israel had to live in caves in the mountains for safety. We also knew that whenever their seeds grew their enemies would come and steal it all, and even take their sheep and cows. It really was a very sad time.
I was thinking about all of this when a voice startled me. ‘Keep up Alice, you are lagging behind.’ It was my brother, Adam, and I was surprised to see the others so far ahead. So I ran as quickly as I could and I soon caught up with them.
‘What were you day-dreaming about this time, Alice? he teased me.
‘Oh, just about how sad it is to see the people so afraid and worried’ I panted as I tried to get my breath back.
‘I don’t think they will be worried for much longer’ Adam said. ‘I’m sure God will help them.’
After that there was no more talking as we tried to keep up with the others. Soon we came to a farm where there was a huge grape- press which was used to squash the grapes, but, today, a young man was in it, and he was secretly threshing wheat so that the enemy couldn’t see him and steal it.
We began to look around to see if any seeds had fallen on the ground, and before long our baskets were full.
‘Time to go’ called one of the older ones, and as we all began to follow I looked back, and I saw - and I don’t think you are going to believe this, but I promise you I did - I saw AN ANGEL sitting under an oak tree.
I gasped. An Angel!
Quickly I put my basket down and hurried back towards the oak tree, and I was just in time to hear him say - “Gideon, mighty soldier, the Lord is with you.”
I turned my head and saw that the Angel was talking to the young man who had been in the grape-press. He looked stunned!
“I thought God had forgotten us” he said at last.
The Angel gave Gideon a lovely smile. “God never forgets anyone” he said gently. “He is going to help you stop your enemies from taking all your animals and food.”
“ME?” said poor Gideon looking frightened. “You can’t mean ME! My family is the poorest in our tribe, and I am the least important one in our family. You must have mixed me up with someone else!”
“No. God will be with you, and that is all that metters” the Angel told him.
Gideon sat down on the grass with a bump, and I heard him mutter to himself - “Me? Gideon?”
Just then I heard a shrill whistle. It was Adam, and he was looking rather cross. So, with one last look at the smiling face of the Angel, and the shocked face of Gideon, I scurried back to where I had left my basket, picked it up, and joined Adam.
‘Why is it that I can never take my eyes off you, Alice, otherwise you get into some sort of mischief? he asked, and he sighed.
‘Sorry, Adam’ I said as I noticed that all the others had gone. ‘But you will never believe what I have just seen and heard’ I added.
‘Not another make-believe story!’ Adam groaned.
‘No, it’s the truth - really’ I protested.
‘What is it then?’ he asked.
So I told him!
By the time I had finished, and Adam had asked lots of questions, we were back at our farm, and we were kept very busy taking off the husks and storing the seeds in the warm downstairs rooms.
It was supper-time before we could talk again, and our Mummy and Daddy were very interested in what I told them - AND they believed me!
‘It will be good to have the land full of crops again’ said Daddy. ‘I have felt so sorry for the people.’
‘I have, too’ agreed Mummy. ‘Wont it be interesting to see what happens!’
And now I can tell you what did happen. I know the end of the story!
Gideon DID become a great soldier, and a brave one, with God’s help.
And he and his men DID throw the enemy out of our land.
And the fields DID grow lots of crops.
And the people went back to their farms, and the little woolly lambs and the calves ran and leaped happily about.
It was marvellous!
So you see, we little people ARE important in God’s eyes, and with His help we CAN work for Him - isn’t that wonderful?
Elizabeth Aynsley ©

Proverbs 30 vs. 25. Proverbs 6. 6 - 8 and Judges Chapers 6 and 7.