Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Godly Lessons from a Spider and Its Web?


“Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold.” (Job 8:13-15)

Recently, my husband discovered a large spider hanging in a web that was blocking the entrance to our deck in the back of our home. Amazed at the size of this creature, I ran to get my camera to see if I could get a good macro shot. After analyzing the photos I took, I wondered what scripture said about these eight-legged arachnids.
Surprisingly, the passage I found was a warning for all of us: We are not to leave the Lord Jesus out of our lives. Without Him we have no hope. We are to rely on Him and Him only, because if we don’t, whatever we choose to lean on will fall apart.
I always believed spider webs were pretty sturdy. According to dandydesigns.org, spider web material is about one-tenth the diameter of a human hair, but it has incredible strength. It is 10 times stronger than a strand of steel of the same weight. Sounds pretty strong, huh? But the truth is webs don’t remain that way. A freshly spun web is silk-like, extremely elastic and sticky, so it can trap all sorts of prey. But after a short while, the web loses its stickiness and elasticity, breaks apart and can no longer capture prey.

Just as the spider’s web eventually loses it strength and gives way, so will anything we lean on other than the Lord. Many people rely solely on their jobs, bank accounts, material possessions, friends, family members, good reputations, academic titles and college degrees for security. But all of these things are fragile and will not provide a firm foundation — or any hope. Only our Lord can give us these things. So the next time you see a spider in its web, let it be a reminder to lean on the Lord, for He is our strength and our ultimate hope who will never give way. 

27 comments:

  1. Nice comments for this chilly Wednesday morning! Hope that you are well,

    Jane

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  2. Hi Judy,

    Thank you for sharing this post on trusting God. I like this part best, "Just as the spider’s web eventually loses it strength and gives way, so will anything we lean on other than the Lord." -- This reminded me of the scripture which says, "for we walk by faith, not by sight".

    Blessings and peace.

    MTJ

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  3. Judy,
    i think i am late to come here but not too much---any way your this post is giving very good message and impact on all of us.i appreciate you for your writings.
    Best wishes.
    Hemant
    http://childrensheaven.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi Judith -

    Great shots....

    Your reminder is important because you are so right that only GOD can be trusted fully!

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  5. Judy, What a great message!! Anything we rely on besides the Lord is FLIMSY. God is the ONLY One who can be trusted - He remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow! Thank you for an inspiring message of truth and hope!

    GOD BLESS!

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  6. Oh thanks so much Sharon! Your feedback means a lot. The feedback from everyone means a lot. Thank you all.

    Blessings,
    Judy

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  7. Thanks for the solid word, Judy. Only the Lord is trustworthy. Your analogy of a spider and its web really drives the point home.

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  8. Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, some trust in spider's webs, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. My new paraphrase. :-)

    Oh, what intricate webs we weave and as God created the spider and his ability to create webs, so he's given us the creativity to spin our own as well. However, only on Christ should we stand.

    Thanks Judith for your insight and lovely pictures. I'm a nature buff like yourself.

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  9. Thanks Beverly! Hopefully there will be more to come! :-)

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  10. Great post, Judy. Earlier this week, a large Garden Spider built a web on our front porch. Only a few days later, the spider was gone and the once beautiful web was in shambles.

    As you said, we can't trust in our banks accounts, jobs, etc. God is the only thing that is secure.

    Blessings,
    Joan

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  11. Hi Joan,

    That's a great example of what I wrote about. The spider web on your front porch was in shambles shortly after it was spun. Thanks for your comment.

    Blessings,
    Judy

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  12. Hi Judith -

    I read on Julie's blog where you are soon going to be posting some autumn pictures. I look forward to viewing your photos of our Lord's amazing creations.

    I recently posted a bunch of photos from an Orchid Show that I attended yesterday. Please visit and view them at www.lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com.

    Thank you, Judith, for your consideration and indulgence.

    Note: This idea may or may not work for you, but today, the Lord told me to start numbering my photos. That makes for easy i.d. of them....

    Second Note: Did you change your blog background colors/design?

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  13. Hi Judith -

    The autumn look on your blog is inviting and warm...

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  14. I love this post Judy. This week I am featuring spider webs on my blog. You asked how I spotted the little "guard frog" that I took a picture of...he was there almost every day this summer...apparently his summer home!

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  15. Relying upon the Lord is relational, like relying on a friend or a spouse. Relationships, like spider webs, can weaken over time. Or relationships can grow stronger, depending upon the work and attention one invests in them. The constant spinning of the spider reminds us that our relationship with God, and with others, need continual attention.

    Pastor Ed's series, The Relationship Principles of Jesus, is about that "spinning" we need to be doing. God does amazing things through the network of His people.

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  16. Hi Pastor Dan,

    Thank you so much for your comment! It is awesome!

    Blessings,
    Judy

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  17. Hi Judy,

    Thank you for your recent visit to one of my blogs. I was on blog break although I had some posts schedule to post. I thought I'd return the kind gesture and pop in to visit.

    You have a beautiful blog and this was a powerful message. Only the LORD do I place my trust in for He is my sure FOUNDATION.

    Blessings to you as you live for HIM.

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  18. Hi Judith -

    Today I created another blog solely for display of photographs. The Lord instructed me to use my LIONS SHARE MAJESTY (www.lioneaglesoar.blogspot.com )blog for Bible based focuses with photos there to accompany biblically based topics.

    As you noticed, I had placed a photo "gallery" of photos on that blog - lots of photos of orchids, trees, etc. Today I removed those photo "galleries" from that blog and gave them a home of their own on another blog created today specifically for photo "gallery" displays.

    Please visit my photo blog www.lioneaglephotorama.blogspot.com

    Thank you, Judith, for your consideration and indulgence.

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  19. Amen! Great Illustration! I'll never look at a spider in the same way again :-)

    God bless you Judy

    ~Ron

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  20. ...words that are really true... we must not forget to lean on HIM for he is our strong foundation... thanks for sharin'...d(^^)b...

    ...here via Sister Sheena... i am glad to follow your steps...^^

    GOD Bless!!!:D

    >Kelvin

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  21. Good evening Judy,

    Thank you very much for the message you just left. I have to say your comments on my Pro-Life/Post Abortive Recovery blog drew me to tears. Thank you for that encouragement. It is my prayer that GOD is using that blog to touch others. Thank you for becoming a reader on my main ministry blog (I am not fond of the word "follower" unless I'm talking about following Jesus but I know it's a blogger word) but I look forward to getting to know you better in Christ.

    Blessings and hugs!

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  22. You are very welcome Lisa!

    Judy

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  23. Very good post and very good use of Scripture. I enjoyed this portion of Job; it is one of my favorite books of the bible.

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  24. Hello Judy, thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving an encouraging comment. It's nice to meet you. I enjoyed reading your post. I love when God uses the ordinary occurences in life like a spider's web to make his word come alive.

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  25. Hi Judy, loved your story about the spider. There is so much to learn from God's creatures, isn't there? It seems as though all of nature speaks of God. Thanks for the post.
    Andie

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