During
World War II, a US marine was separated from his
unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been
intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire 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. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves.
Although safe for the moment, he realized that once
the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the
ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and
he would be killed.
As
he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your
will, 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 isn't 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.
"Ha,
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."
As
the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness
of his hideout and could see them searching one cave
after another. As they came to his, he got ready to
make his last stand. To his amazement, however,
after 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 would 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, "In God we will have success!"
[Nehemiah 2:20]
Remember:
Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere
spider's web can become a brick wall of protection.
Believe He is with you always. Just speak His name
through Jesus His son, and you will see His great
power and love for you.
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