God must have made every creature for a purpose, but some of them can be pests.

Take the ant, for instance. Before the recent heavy rains, when the ground was hard and dry, the pump in our well quit working. Not one drop of water flowed from the faucets.

Turns out, ants had crawled between the points that connect and send electricity to the pump. Maybe the tiny bugs were thirsty and were searching for water. Their trek troubled our lives. I was amazed that something so small could cripple a large device.

The ant episode reminded me of something I’ve read in the Bible about these little industrious insects. Proverbs 6:6 says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.”

Wise old Solomon wrote those words to shame the sluggard, or lazy person, who doesn’t want to do any work. Ants are always busy at work, sometimes carrying a grain of sand or crumb as big as their bodies. Solomon says they are not a strong people, “yet they prepare their food in the summer” (Proverbs 30:25). They store up supplies in their anthills.

They’re interesting to watch. I read a story about a man who saw an ant carrying a piece of straw much larger than his tiny size. Fascinated, the man watched as the ant came to a crevice in the ground too big to go down into and too wide to cross.

The ant took the straw, laid it over the crevice, walked across the straw, and picked it up on the other side and went on his way. The man thought to himself, “The ant turned his burden into a bridge. That’s what God wants us to do with our burden!”

We can learn a lot from the lowly ant, as the Bible says. Sometimes we too carry heavy burdens. I’ve discovered through the years that the Bible contains the answers to whatever is “bugging” us. Here’s a list that might be helpful for what’s bugging you.

f you feel rejected, Jesus is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). If you are lonely, turn to Psalm 32:7, “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble” or Hebrews 13:5, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are discouraged, read Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” If you are fearful, Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Does worry bug you, like it does me at times? 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast all our cares upon Him because cares for us. Need relief from stress? Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

What’s bugging you? Search the scriptures for the answer.

Jan White is an award-winning religion columnist. She can be reached at jwhite@andycable.com.