R.D. Bhardwaj “Noorpuri”
During World War II, a US Marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been very 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 some cover to protect his life, 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 also realised that once the enemy soldiers are looking for him swept up the ridge, they would easily and quickly search all the caves and thereafter, he would be killed. As he waited, he prayed, “Oh Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen ! I don’t want to die before I see my dear ones !!”
After praying, he lay quietly listening to the foot-steps of the enemy begin to draw close and close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this worst moments of my life.”
Just then he saw a spider crawling out of a small ………… and soon it started building 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 its web across the opening of the cave.
“Hah” he thought, “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a good sense of humour.”
As the enemy drew closer searching for him from place to place, he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to the cave in which he was hiding, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after just glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. In fact, they may have thought that this spider’s web may have been woven many months ago and since it was intact, who could have gone inside the cave ?
Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered it for quite a while. “Lord, Please forgive me,” prayed the young soldier, “I had thought that how a small web woven by a spider could save me from the enemies who have killer weapons, but I had forgotten that in fact fact, the 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!”
Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall for your protection. Trust and believe that He is with you always. Just ask for his help and you will see His great power and love for you.
(Based on a biblical story about King David when he was running from King Saul in the Book of Kings I.)
