A SPIDER WEB AS A STONE WALL
A young soldier found himself in a terrible battle. The enemy was soundly
defeating this young man's platoon. He and his comrades found themselves
hastily retreating from the battle field in defeat, running away in fear of their
very lives.
The enemy gave chase. This young man ran hard and fast, full of fear and
desperation, and soon found himself cut off from his comrades in arms.
He eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave. Knowing the
enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the chase, he chose
to hide there. After he crawled in, he fell to his face in the darkness,
desperately crying to God to save him and protect him from his enemies. He
also made a bargain with God, one which I have made before. He promised
that if God saved him, he would serve Him for the remainder of his days.
When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a spider
beginning to weave its web at the entrance to the cave. As he watched the
delicate threads being slowly drawn across the mouth of the cave, the young
soldier pondered its irony. He thought, "I asked God for protection and
deliverance, and he sent me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"
His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his hiding
place and kill him. And soon he did hear the sound of his enemies, who were
now scouring the area looking for those in hiding. One soldier with a gun
slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. As the young man crouched in the
darkness, hoping to surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to
save his own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.
As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came upon the
spider's web, which by now was completely strung across the opening. He
backed away and called out to a comrade, "There can't be anyone in here.
They would have had to break this spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move
on."
Years later, this young man, who made good on his promise by becoming a
preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal. What he observed stands
by me in time of trouble, especially during those times when everything
seems impossible.
He wrote: "Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where God is
not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."
This story was taught to the whole family by my father during one of our morning
devotions, and since then, this story has awed in many than one ways. One
particular thing that strikes me most is the humility of God; the humility is so
astonishing that it begins to seem as pride. Of all things, it was a spider God sent!!
All he needed to continue living was a prayer
Written by… Nsikak-Abasi M.David
