The Ants Go Marching…

Published by christi on July 27, 2023

When we have an invasion, plague, or onslaught of (unwelcome) critters, it usually doesn’t take long for me to start asking, “Okay, God. What are You after?”

(If you’ve been following me for a while, this is not unfamiliar territory. If you haven’t, this is part of following Jesus in the everyday, involving Him in every part of my life…not that He’s not already involved, it just requires a little jogging of my memory to remember to consciously include Him in what’s going on.)

This time it’s bedbugs! It’s very distressing ! Not only are they gross — like itty bitty vampires that emerge in the night to suck my blood, but my body reacts to their bites with welts and itching, over three dozen driving-me-to-distraction reason to start yelling, “Okay, God! You and me. Right here! Right now! I wanna know what’s up!”

Rats, leafhoppers, spiders and now this! All while we are trying to declutter (which is hard enough without interference) to make room for a new housemate, eventually remodeling her part of the house into a self-contained apartment. I have almost stopped asking:  “Could it get any worse?” The answer is always “Yes.” Because the question needs to be:  What are you wanting to do here? In me?

Our human tendency is to ask what we are supposed to learn…so we can get the ordeal over with! God’s lessons are seldom structured like college courses where  the idea is to grasp the material, pass the exam, and move on. I’ve found myself with those words on my lips! I know better!!!

God has used HIs lesser creatures as servants for  the remaking of my heart and the restructuring of my thinking. This is always His plan. His faithful servants in the work of confronting my sin and calling me to repent have often been bugs and rodents. Over the years we have had mice, cockroaches, whiteflies, squash bugs, leafhoppers, snails, slugs, rats, termites, and ants, all servants of the living God to develop the character of Jesus in us…well, in me anyhow.  Sometimes it’s a careful, deliberate and gentle conviction of sin; sometimes it’s the exposure of a spiritual stronghold, or the need to take thought patterns captive. At times, it has been designed to challenge my faith so I will not rely on my own understanding. And because song-writing is in both my physical and spiritual genes, songs have grown out of my response to God’s activity. Like this one whose tune belongs to the marching/counting song that’s been around since the American Civil War.

The ants go marching one by one. Oh, dear! O my!

The ants come marching one by one. “Oh no!” I cry.

Just when I think my work is done, the ants come marching one by one.

So I’ll face my sin the ants come marching in.

It only goes on for three verses, but I think that’s enough to give you the idea.

God is always after our attention, our complete devotion and love, and He will use everything at His disposal to accomplish this. So rats, cats, bugs, whatever He sends I am still

Following Jesus every day in the everyday!

Christi