“There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceedingly wise.

1.    The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.
2.    The conies are but a folk, yet make they their house in the rocks.
3.    The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by hands.
4.    The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.” — Prov. 30:24–28.

TODAY, many of us are looking for strength; we believe that when it comes to physical combat, or physical effort we think when we have the strength to do it, we can overcome. Now, God is better than strength. And He calls it ‘Wisdom.” Verse 18 says, wisdom is better than weapons of war but one sinner destroys much good.

The first example God is referring us to as being wise is “The ants.” The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer. What lesson or the elements of wisdom can be found in these people called the ants? What characteristic is in the ant that God is calling our attention to look at? What attitude about the ants do we need to copy from if we want to have wisdom.

“Preparation,”--ontime preparation. They are not strong but they prepare their meat in summer before the  winter comes. The first element of wisdom is preparing ontime before anything happens. Nothing takes you by surprise.

It means a man who doesn’t prepare ontime is a fool. Notice that the Bible says “the ants” is a people not strong but because of their wisdom to prepare ontime it becomes strong. In other words, preparing ontime will equip you against weakness. The advantages of preparing on time include:

1.    It brings strength to you. If you foresee and prepare adequately for it, you will be much strong to face that particular thing.

2.    Opportunity. Only a prepared man can make use of it. Opportunity comes everyday. Sometimes we are so blind, we don’t know when the opportunity comes. It is not as much that opportunity does not come at all.

Opportunities surely come and they do always come. Today, opportunity to become a natural hero, to get to the pinnacle of where you have dreamt of has always crossed you by. Why you did not see it and did not make use of it is because you didn’t prepare for it. The other advantage we have for preparing on time is that mistakes are avoided.

Preparing ontime also saves procastination. When you are prepared, you know what to do and when you know what to do, you will go ahead to do that thing without the need to postpone it. The reason why people procastinate is because they are not ready for that assignment: making you a sluggard or lazy. Another reason for procastination is the question of a right time. The wrong time of embarking on things is when you are not prepared. People use the excuse of the right time and become lazy. The right time is not yesterday, it is not tomorrow. The right time is the time when you are prepared.

Be reminded also that certain things can be done at a particular time. And when you miss that chance, you miss it forever. Like salvation — II Cor 6:2, says, “Behold, this time is the time of salvation.”

How can you do that particular thing if you are not prepared for it. Ecc. 8:5–6 says “Who so keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing; and a wiseman’s heart decerneth both time and judgment. Because to every purpose there is time and judgment.”