The Spider Web

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:2

A Christian warrior was separated from his unit during the course of intense fighting. In the smoke and haze of battle, he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock and quickly crawled into one. Although safe for the moment, he realized that the enemy soldiers looking for him would soon sweep up the ridge, searching all the caves. The cave he was hiding in was small and even the most cursory search would lead to his being found and killed. As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord is not going to help me out of this one.” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. He thought, “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web.”

God does have a sense of humor though, and as the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout. They searched one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand but to his amazement, after merely glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you, a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall.”

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, “The God of heaven will give us success!” (Nehemiah 2:20). Or, as the Christ once said, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)

Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can be as good as a brick wall for protection. Believe He is with you always. Just seek Him through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.