A Daily Spiritual Look At Life

[MajestyJo]

God and the Spider



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.

"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 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.

[MajestyJo]

[MajestyJo]

Thought for the Day

Sunday
, AUGUST 12

From the book: Twenty-Four Hours a Day

Thought for the Day

"There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet by Alcoholics Anonymous. By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others, and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives there in a way, which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do for ourselves." Have I let God come into my life?

Meditation for the Day

The moment a thing seems wrong to you or a person's actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted or that person to be changed. What is wrong in your surroundings or in the people you know? Think about these things and make these matters your responsibility. Not to interfere or be a busybody, but to pray that a change may come through your influence. You may see lives altered and evils banished in time. You can become a force for good wherever you are.

Prayer for the Day

I pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I may help people by my example.

[MajestyJo]

From "Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much" by Anne Wilson Schaef

If God is a fly on the wall, Nanny, hand me a fly swatter.

- Gaby Brimmer

Even Jesus felt forsaken by God. We can identify with him. We have been angry with God, and we have abandoned our Higher Power because we felt abandoned. This God on whom we want to depend simply refuses to live our lives for us. We want to turn it all over to our Higher Power and lie back and relax, and old H.P. is not cooperating.

Where's the fly swatter? If my Higher Power won't do it my way, to hell with it.

Right! Enjoying ourselves, are we? Isn't this fun? A fight with God - that should keep us occupied for quite some time.

When I feel abandoned by my Higher Power, I am the one who has gone away.