A Web of Discernment

I’ve been listening to my Discernment Playlist tonight as I watch a spider build a web outside our dining room windows. I first noticed the spider at dusk. A huge, yellowish brown spider. It hadn’t been at work long; you could just begin to see the main threads of the web coming down from the gutter to the shrubs below. The floodlight at the corner of the garage made the silky threads glisten brightly as a misty rain fell.

The floodlight brought forth all the food the spider needs. Every flying creature in close proximity began to quickly get caught.

As darkness has fallen, the spider has worked harder and harder; it’s web serving it’s intended purpose. The web has now expanded to fill almost the entire corner. Looking from the safety of inside the house, the web is beautiful. What a work of art and mystery! The weaving of every small strand has become an amazing creation.

The song that’s now playing is Confidence by Sancus Real.

"I feel unqualified for what you're calling me to
But Lord with your strength
I've got no excuse
'Cause broken people are exactly who you use
So give me faith like Daniel in the lion's den
Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness
Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense
So I can face my giants with confidence"

 - Copyright Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc. 
Songwriters: Matthew Ross Armstrong/Jordan Michael Bailey/Tony W. Wood

“I feel unqualified for what you’re calling me to…” resounds in my head tonight. And yet this spider…. There it is, constantly spinning, constantly creating, constantly moving – just as God has called it to do without fear or hesitation. And I stand amazed at what one small spider is doing, watching as if I’ve never seen anything like this before. (I’m saying it’s small, but from in here it actually looks pretty huge as spiders come.)

So what am I afraid of? What awe-inspiring work is God calling me to do – one thread at a time until the creation is finished? Faith, hope and heart: looks like the spider’s got it even if the “giant” may come crashing right through its work early in the morning light. So I’ve got no excuse, and neither do you. Just “Lord be my defense so I can face my giants with confidence.”