Tim Timberlake - 4 Little Things
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Summary:
In this powerful message from the first Revival Wednesday of the 2020s, the preacher draws from Proverbs 30:24–28 to show how God highlights four small, seemingly insignificant creatures—ants, conies, locusts, and lizards—as sources of extreme wisdom for entering a new season. The key idea is that God often uses what the world sees as weak or small to display His power and prepare His people for breakthrough, restoration, and establishment after suffering. The conclusion calls believers to prepare like the ant, posture themselves in the Rock like the cony, propel forward in unity like the locusts, and let go of the past while seeking the Son like the lizard to fully step into what God has ahead.
A New Era Begins
Not only do I believe that this is a new year, but I also believe that this is a new era. I believe that God is transitioning us into a new season where things will happen so fast your head spins. The description in 1 Peter chapter 5 says that after you have suffered a little while, the God of grace will restore you, redeem you, and establish you. How many of you declare that over your life? God, restore me! God, redeem me! God, establish me! That’s what our prayer is for you. I’m excited to share this word tonight. I believe this is a word that will mark us for the rest of our lives—the first Revival Wednesday of the 2020s.
Turning to Proverbs 30
So, I want you to turn your attention to Proverbs chapter 30, beginning at verse 24. When you’re there, say, «Amen.» If you’re not there, say, «Wait on me.» I hear a lot of «Wait on me,» so we’ll wait just a moment. We’ve waited long enough. Proverbs chapter 30, verse 24 says, «Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: the ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer; the hyrax, or the cony, are creatures of little power, yet they make their homes in crags and rocks; the locusts have no king, yet they advance together in ranks; the lizard can be caught with the hand, yet it is found in kings' palaces.» And I can hear you thinking, «What in the world does this have to do with me?» I’m glad you asked. We’ll get to it after we pray. Come on, place your hands down. Let’s pray.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You. You are so good to us; You’re better than good to us. Lord, tonight we stand in awe of Your mercy, and we are humbled by Your grace. So God, tonight we ask that You would speak to us, we ask that You would touch us, we ask, God, that You would redeem us, restore us, and establish us in the name of Jesus. All who agree, shout, «Amen!»
Fascination with Animals
If you have been around for any period of time and have heard me speak, you know I have a great fascination with the Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. If I am to be completely transparent, about 70% of all my messages are inspired somehow by animals. I love animals, and this particular passage of Scripture points out four little things. These four little things caught my attention. I was sitting, and this is the scripture that I had not come across, and I thought, «What in the world do these four little things have to do with anything?»
Why Not the Lion?
If you’re like me, I love big cats. How many big cat fans do we have in here? We are in the land of Jaguars, so you should make some noise! I know it’s hard to root for them right now, but how many of you believe they’re going to make a comeback? Come on, somebody; I believe it with you. I just don’t believe it as strongly as I believe for the Panthers. My God, both of the cats need help! But I have a fascination with lions, and as I looked at this particular passage of Scripture, I thought: if God wanted to use anything, why not reference a lion?
When we look at the lion, the lion is known as the king of the jungle. If you watch Animal Planet, you know they always give the lions names, and there’s a narrator who sounds a lot like God. I mean, he sounds a lot like God! I listen to him and think, «Man, I just want a voice like that.» He always has the coolest accent; he’s always like, «Craig is in the brush.» As we look at Craig, we notice his pack is leaving him behind because Craig is hunting for his food. As Craig leans down low, he begins to prepare to pounce on his prey, and I’m at the edge of my seat like, «Oh my God, God is narrating Animal Planet right now!»
Animals are known as the kings of the jungle. If God wanted to attribute one of His characteristics to an animal, I thought for sure that the King of Kings would reference the king of the jungle. If I were to say Mufasa and Simba, everybody in here knows they are stars in the movie «The Lion King.» Lions represent kingship, authority, and the big cats, and there is no big cat that represents the big cat family like the lion. But God doesn’t mention that; He goes right past it!
What About the Grizzly Bear?
I also thought, «Man, if God wanted to use another big animal, He would definitely use the grizzly bear.» A grizzly bear can get up to 14 feet, and they frequent the woods. This is why I don’t go hiking! This is why you won’t catch me wandering through the woods for no reason. I have no desire to put a backpack on, grab some sticks, and climb a hill—that’s just not in my nature; it’s not in my desire. That is not my vision for my life in 2020.
As a matter of fact, whenever you see a grizzly bear or bear attack, it’s because somebody was in the wrong place at the wrong time, in a place that humans aren’t supposed to frequent often. Come on, somebody! A grizzly bear is minding his business; a backpacker walks through, and he says, «There goes a delicious snack!» Next thing you know, they’re in the hospital. Why? They’re not supposed to be in the woods, ladies and gentlemen! Come on! Let’s stay out of the woods in 2020!
Get this: if you want to go backpacking, put your backpack on and walk around your neighborhood, but stay out of the woods! If you look at the grizzly bear’s hands, the average grizzly bear’s paw is about 24 inches! I don’t know if you understand how big 24 inches is, but it’s a lot bigger than your head! And all it takes is one little swipe, and your mustache is gone completely!
As we look at this passage of Scripture, I think, «If God wanted to attribute His characteristics to something and it’s not the lion, surely He could attribute it to the grizzly bear because His hand is big.» How many of you know that? But God doesn’t even reference the grizzly bear.
Elephants and Eagles
Then I start to think, «Okay, if God doesn’t reference the lion, and He doesn’t reference the grizzly bear, surely He says something about elephants.» Oh man! If you know anything about elephants, you know that elephants are big, and they have a problem with throwing their weight around. You get in the line of sight of an elephant, and if you are between that elephant and that baby, you are as good as gone! It’ll even reason to pray you out of here. Who are you playing with?
But God doesn’t reference elephants; He doesn’t reference the lion, the bear, or even the elephant. The next thing I thought was, «Surely God will reference the eagle.» The eagle is a beautiful bird! I was in Alaska, and I was walking when I saw what looked like a Tyrannosaurus shadow on the ground. I looked up, and it was an eagle! Scientists say that an eagle’s wingspan can reach 14 feet, and their talons are as big as a grown man’s hand. Their head is as big as your head!
Let me be the first one to tell you—if no one has told you today—you have a nice-sized head on your body. So these birds are not small birds! But the unique thing about the eagle is that it can see up to two miles both above and beneath water. When I think about the eagle, it reminds me of the scripture that says the eyes of the Lord roam to and fro. But God does not reference the lion, the bear, the elephant, nor the eagle; instead, He references things that we look at as insufficient—things that we look at as annoying—things that we look at as small.
What I’ve come to learn about God is that oftentimes, He will use the thing that you think does not qualify for Him to use. Is there anybody here grateful that somehow, someway, God saw fit to position you, anoint you, and call you when man doesn’t see what it is that God is doing inside of you? I came to tell you tonight that if God called you, they don’t have to like you.
Lesson from the Ant: Prepare Yourself
So, He points our attention to four small things, and He says these four small things are extremely wise. If God says something is wise, we must pay attention to the wisdom found in these four things, which brings me to point number one about the ant. The ant teaches us that we have to prepare ourselves. In this year—2020—this is a year that you need to prepare yourself for the things that God has been saying to you, for the things that God has been promising you, for the things that God has been declaring over your life.
This is the year that you prepare yourself for the things that God has spoken in your life because I believe that this is a year of manifestation for you. Oh, I said this is a year of manifestation for you! I may not be talking to everybody, but I believe I’m talking to somebody who has been believing God for some real big things, and when you put your faith in Him, He says, «I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread.» Somebody shout, «Prepare yourself!»
This is the picture we have of a pair of ants. Look at this! I mean, this ant is carrying something that’s bigger than itself! This ant is carrying something that’s twice the weight of its body! The thing that the ant can teach us is that you are predestined to carry something that’s bigger than you! In this year of 2020, you have to have your mind made up that you will carry what God has called you to carry in this season, no matter how heavy it is.
The thing that I also admire about the ant is that it always prepares in summer for winter. What I believe the ant is doing is declaring over its life that although it’s summer, «I believe I’ll be around in the wintertime, so I must prepare now as if it’s going to be there when I need it.» The great thing about the ant is it doesn’t get ready when it needs to be ready; it is ready because it prepared.
For where God is taking you, you won’t have time to get ready. This is your preparation season, so when you get there, you will be ready and won’t be trying to figure out how to get ready. You can’t be getting ready when God called you to be ready. This is your preparation time! Somebody say, «Prepare yourself!»
If you’re not careful, you will allow life to happen, and you will not live. Preparation has never lost time. Preparation is always the proof of expectation. I’ll say it again: preparation is always the proof of expectation. When we say, «God, we believe,» the thing that we should do after that is begin to prepare for what we say we believe! It makes no sense for us to give word service to God in our lives without following through with action.
It makes no sense for us to say, «This is what we are expecting and hoping for,» but not make the necessary preparations for what we’re actually hoping and expecting for. In this new season of 2020, I believe God is going to give you double vision for what He has shown you. It’s been out of focus long enough. It’s been blurry long enough. It’s been out of whack long enough. This is your season of clarity, but you have to prepare yourself.
The ant is not worried about who’s looking at it. It’s not worried about how crazy it looks. It’s not worried about how big what it’s carrying may seem in comparison to its body weight. They understand that no matter what it may look like, they are going to bring in what they need to bring in because they won’t be caught in a season where they need something that they didn’t prepare for.
I came to announce to you tonight that this is the season in which you have to bring it in yourself! I said this is a season that you have to bring it in yourself! You’ve been waiting on people to do it long enough! This is the season you have to bring it in yourself! You’ve been sitting on the good word long enough! This is the season you have to bring it in yourself! You need to bump the person beside you and say, «I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to bring it in!»
You’ve got to bring it in yourself! The ant is not concerned about how they look; their concern is about preparing for the season that they’re going into. You have to prepare yourself. God wants us to look at this particular ant because God sees it as a wise creature. He sees it as something unique and different than anything else He made. He sees it as something special that He wants us to receive wisdom from.
So, He tells us that the ant is small but prepares. Your destiny may look small right now. Your future may look small right now. Your situation, your circumstance, may look small right now, but you have to start preparing not for where you are, but for where God is calling you to be. You can’t settle for where you are right now. God has so much more in store for you. You can’t settle for the level of comfort that you’re sitting in right now; God has so much more for you, but you have to prepare yourself.
Lesson from the Cony: Posture Yourself
The second thing that God points out to us in Scripture is an interesting creature—one that many of us may not have heard of before—the cony. It says the cony is a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rock. The cony is interesting because it looks like a rabbit. If we have a picture of the cony, let’s throw that up there. Look at this little thing! I mean, this little thing is interesting looking, isn’t it?
But the cony understands that it can’t run fast. The cony understands that it’s not strong enough to fight off its enemies. The cony understands, «I don’t have hands the size of a grizzly bear,» but the one thing that I can rely on is the rock to hide me. The second thing that I think God wants us to uplift and extract from this particular passage of Scripture from the cony is to posture yourself.
When we look at the cony, it says the cony finds its protection in the rock. The cony finds its safe place in the rock. The cony finds its higher ground in the rock. I’m telling you, in this year—2020—the only way you’re going to make it as God intended for you to make it is to be hidden in the rock!
Be hidden in the rock! It says that the cony is a feeble folk, which means it’s weak and lacks power. There’s a passage of Scripture that comes to mind that says, «When you are weak, then I am strong.» You’ve got to posture yourself. The thing that I’ve learned is feeble folk worship differently. People that understand their weakness—their limitations—worship differently.
People that understand that they can’t make it in their own power worship differently. People that understand they didn’t wake themselves up this morning worship differently. People that understand they didn’t put food on the table today worship differently. People that understand they don’t have the power to put air in their own lungs worship differently.
See, there’s something unique and special about being weak before the Lord because that’s when He gives you strength. I wonder tonight, is there anybody here that understands that in your own power, you come to the end of the road? But when you admit that you are weak, that’s when He steps in, and that’s when He steps up! That’s when He initiates His strength, His mercy, and His grace in your life.
I want to see a crowd of 30 folks in this place that’s not worried about the people around you! Then lift up your hands, open up your mouth, and let’s give God about 20 seconds of good praise! You know if it had not been for the Lord on your side, where would you be? You know if it had not been for His grace and His mercy, you would have been gone a long time ago! But He stepped in and He stepped up! He risked it all at the nick of time for you and for me! Somebody shout, «Posture yourselves!»
In order for you to get what He desires for you to get, you must posture yourself. The cony is postured in the rock. He’s anchored in the rock. He’s grounded in the rock. He finds his shelter in the rock. He understands that in his own power, the adversary will get the best of him. But when he’s hidden, there’s nothing the adversary could do that my God won’t protect him from!
So the ant teaches us to prepare ourselves; the cony teaches us to posture ourselves.
Lesson from the Locusts: Propel Yourself
But then God points our attention to the locusts, and He elevates something that’s very, very interesting. He says that the locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands. The thing that I believe God wants us to look at and extract from this is to propel yourself.
See, the locusts all draw their strength from their back legs, and if you’ve ever seen a locust move, you understand that they draw back and then prepare themselves to jump. This is the year that God is going to propel you—not in your own strength, not in your own ability, not in your own power, but in His strength, in His ability, in His power because He is good! You and all that you—that good? You’re not that fantastic! I’m telling you, it’s not about you; it’s about His desire, planning, and purpose for your life.
I’m here to tell you tonight that this year—2020—is going to be a year that propels you for the next decade! If you believe this year is a shifting year for you, if you believe this year is a defining year for you, if you believe this year is a marking year for you, why don’t you tell God, «Thank You» even before you see anything change? Why don’t you tell God, «Thank You» before you feel anything change? Why don’t you tell God, «Thank You» before anything actually changes?
Will you praise God before you see change? You’re putting your faith and your hope in Him, and God said, «I’ll make a way out of no way. He’s a way maker! I said He’s a way maker! He will fight mountains for you! He’ll raise valleys for you! He’ll do the impossible and smile while saying this is a normal Wednesday night for me! He’s a way maker! He was a way maker for Moses! He was a way maker for Abraham! He was a way maker for Elijah and Elisha! He was a way maker for David! He was a way maker for Job! He was a way maker for all of His children! And His Word says that He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore, which means if you still have air in your lungs, you qualify for a miracle!
It means if you woke up this morning, you qualify for a breakthrough! It means if you’ve got a hallelujah trapped in your mouth, you qualify for your breakthrough to happen! Is anybody here willing to release what God put only inside of you? Take a moment to give Him His breath back! Somebody shout, „Amen!“
So, the locusts propel themselves. The thing that the Scripture also says is that the locusts operate together like a band. That means they roll together! That means they don’t do things alone! It means they are better together! If we were to extract anything, it’s the unity that the locusts carry. When the locusts put their mind to it and when they work together, they can wipe out whole entire territories because they do not operate off the mentality that it’s about me; they operate off the mentality that we are better together!
And if we stick together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish! I’m telling you right now in this place tonight that if we stick together, we can accomplish anything! I’m telling you right now, we are better together, and if we operate in unity, if we operate in oneness, if we operate going in the same direction, God can do incredible things out of this place! Somebody shout, „Propel yourself!“
I want you to get one thing on your mind—one thing on your mind that you need God to propel you out of. I don’t want you to get everything because it will overwhelm you, but I want you to get one thing at the forefront of your mind and then thank God before you come out of it because I believe your praise is an activator for the season you’re about to go into.
How many of you are grateful that God gave you the strength to propel yourself? The ant teaches us to prepare, the cony teaches us to posture, the locust teaches us to propel, and then He finishes off these four little things with the lizard.
Lesson from the Lizard: Let It Go
We’ve got a picture of that lizard. Look at this little creature! The lizard is interesting; it’s very well known in these parts. They get into everything! They’re in your car, they’re in your garage, they’re in your garbage, they’re in your house, they’re in your bathroom sink—they’re everywhere here in Jacksonville!
But the interesting thing about the lizard is that if you take notice of this picture, the tail of the lizard is a completely different color from the body of the lizard. This is why the lizard lost its tail; something attacked this lizard, and this lizard lost its tail. This is what I believe that God wants us to look at as it concerns the lizard: you have to be willing in 2020 to let it go!
You’ve got to be willing to let it go! You can’t be holding on to stuff from 2019! You can’t be talking about who did this to you, and they didn’t give me a fair chance, and they don’t like me, and they didn’t give me a shot. They don’t understand my situation, they don’t get it, and they don’t like it. You’ve got to be willing to let it go!
If anyone here understands that this is a new season, the old has passed away, behold, God desires to do a new thing! You have got to let it go! Let it go! Let it go! You can’t be holding on to the old, expecting God to reveal the new to you.
I want you to write this down: What you are willing to walk away from determines what God will bring to you. What you are willing to walk away from will determine what God brings to you. Are you willing to walk away from it? Are you willing to step away from something that’s been holding on to you for a good portion of your life?
If I were to condense it into one question, that one question would be: Are you willing to walk away from who you used to be to become who God is making you? You can’t build God’s kingdom and try to impress your tribe. This is a season that you have to walk away from some good things to possess some God things.
I know it may not look like it’s all that bad, but anything that’s not propelling you into your destiny is pulling you into comfort, and this is a season that you have to let it go! Come on! If you believe that 2020 is your year, shout, „Let it go!“ You’re outgrowing where you are, and that’s why you’re frustrated. Frustration is like the indicator on your car when it goes off. Frustration allows you to know that you have outstayed your current season.
You won’t break through into the new season until you ask God how to get there. It’s not a matter that you’re lost; it’s just that you don’t understand the best route. Tonight, I put it in my GPS not because I didn’t know how to get here, but the GPS understands where the traffic is, and it helps me avoid it.
So, it’s not a matter of you not knowing where you’re going; it’s just you may not understand the best route to get there. In order for you to get to where God is calling you, you’ve got to let it go! I want you to shake your neighbor tonight. Tell them to let it go! Don’t let what’s been holding you back all those years hold you back this year! Don’t let that person that’s been tying you up tie you down this year!
Don’t let that person that’s been keeping you in your comfort zone keep you in your comfort zone any longer. This is your year to let it go! If you understand that this is your year, shout, „I’ll let it go!“ Let it go!
Put the picture of that lizard back up there one more time! One more thing I want to point out to you: the lizard is also a cold-blooded creature, which means that if it does not find the sun, it cannot regulate its body temperature. If it does not position itself in the sun, it will eventually die!
It can’t survive on its own; it needs the sun! It can’t go into season after season unless it lays in front of the sun. I came to announce to you tonight: you can’t go another season without seeing the sun! You can’t go another day without seeing the sun! You can’t go a minute into the new season without seeing the sun! You can’t regulate your own temperature! Only Jesus can do that!
And this is your season to let it go! Come on, stand up on your feet! Lift up those hands! Open up your mouth! For the next 30 seconds, I want you to cry out to God like you need His sun! I want you to cry out to God like you need His sun! I want you to thank Jesus like you need His sun!