The Bumblebee Bat
“I am left alone; and they seek to take my life.” [1.Kings 19:14]
The smallest bat in the world also happens to be the smallest mammal in the world. The bumblebee bat is only about one inch long and lives in Thailand and Myanmar. It weighs about as much as a dime. It really is about the size of a large bumblebee. This reddish brown (or gray) little creature has no tail, but has a wingspan of about 6.5 inches. It is formally called Kitti’s hog-nosed bat (you can guess why) and lives in limestone caves along rivers. Like many endangered animals, its habitat has been disturbed by mankind. It was mostly unknown to the world until 1974 when scientists were classifying bats in Thailand.
Like most bats, the bumblebee bat flies out of its roosting place at night to catch insects. Its activity is briefer, 20-30 minutes in the evening and then again before dawn, because short flights are easily interrupted by heavy rain or cold temperatures. Though very small, the bat’s long wing tips allow it to hover like a hummingbird. Female bats give birth to one baby bat a year, and it takes about a year to raise their young. Since this takes so long, it makes these bats even more susceptible to extinction. Burning forests near these limestone caves has hampered their survival. Some indicate there may only be about 2,000 of these cute (can you call any bat cute?) little guys left.
Someone else was concerned about the number of God’s prophets becoming extinct. Elijah felt all alone after he ran from Jezebel. While hiding in a cave, God called to this prophet who thought he was the last one left. Elijah said to God, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1.Kings 19:14).
But Elijah was discouraged and blind to the truth. The Lord said to him, “Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” (verse 18). Sometimes we may feel so alone that it seems we are almost extinct. But when the Lord opens our eyes, we will realize there is always a remnant that is faithful to Him. Are you part of God’s endangered species?
