The Ants' Road Department

Psalm 5:8
“Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.”

You’re driving down the road and all of a sudden traffic slows to a crawl. Finally, you get to the cause of the slowdown – a big pothole in the road that causes people to slow down and drive around.

Some ants have the same problem. A species of army ant found in Brazil sends out hunters every morning. They travel, several ants wide, looking for other ants – even things as large as scorpions – to attack and return to home base. However, paths in the Brazilian jungle can be rough and even have potholes. When the ants encounter an ant-sized pothole in their road, one choice might be to slow down and narrow their path to get around it. Researchers say that such slowdowns can cut the amount of food delivered home by thirty percent. So, instead, the first ant to encounter such a pothole measures it. If the hole is his size, he fills the pothole with his own body. If the pothole is small, a full grown ant will leave it for a smaller ant to fill.

While God gave these army ants this ability to efficiently overcome obstacles in their path, He has done far more for us. When Scripture talks about making our ways straight before the Lord, it is speaking of Christ’s righteousness which is ours by grace through faith.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for the gift of Your righteousness. Help me always treasure and live in this gift. Amen.

Notes:
Science News, 6/2/07, pp. 340-341, S. Milius, “Pothole Pals.”