The Spider and the Walking Stick

Whilst in my bathroom recently, I noticed a small spider desperately attempting to escape from the enameled bath by vainly struggling up the perpendicular, smooth, slippery sides. Eight long, wiry arachnid legs were hopelessly ineffective as the little arthropod vainly struggled to extricate itself from the infinite white abyss.

After watching with semi-amused sadness a succession of abortive scrambling attempts, slip-sliding down after only progressing up the vertical sides about two steps [don’t ask how that works with eight legs!] I decided to offer some human mercies to the feeble, but fighting, insect. I placed my walking stick in its pathway, attempting to assist the little creature towards the safety, protection and comfort of the surrounding ledge.

Every time I placed the walking stick in front of the ephemeral arthropod it would veer to the left or to the right, or make a hasty 180 degree retreat. Upon observing this repeated behavior pattern I concluded that the spider had no deductive intelligence, neither the brain power, nor the perceptological faculties to comprehend and reason that it could scale the walking stick, clamber up and out; or be lifted up to safety. It clearly perceived my walking stick as a danger, as life-threatening, and after having dug deep into its own arachnid perceptiveness decided that it would be safer to avoid—nay, reject!—the intended salvational assistance.

My arachnidan prisoner possessed neither spiritual insight, nor transcendent foresight or simple rational deductive capacity to comprehend and appreciate the fact that I intended to act as a self-appointed divine benefactor—a “savior” if you wish—intending to provide deliverance from its desperately despairing situation by offering “supernatural” aid to rescue it from its otherwise hopeless, helpless, hapless and totally trapped position.

This mundane, everyday-life situation in which one of God's little creatures, yet fit and able to function fully in fulfilling its designed cosmic calling, now finds itself useless and clueless, imprisoned by the gravitational forces of nature and the yawning abyss surrounded by the towering enameled walls. The slippery perimeter that entrapped him was an industrial marvel of a civilization beyond its arachnidan ken. But still, it finds itself free to perseveringly struggle and scrape, to writhe and wriggle, to extricate himself from the smooth, silky abyss.

It brought me to the realization that we as humans, despite our comparatively superior intelligence and spiritually oriented perceptiveness, also encounter such daily life-struggles. We have to deal with forces beyond our ken, created to entrap us. And, we too, behave like that utterly frustrated spider. However, as long as we have life we, like our spider, can continually struggle, scrape, writhe and wriggle to extricate ourselves from constricted, dark corners or crushing social entrapments shaped by our own moral failures, sociological misjudgments, financial overextensions, professional underestimations, political preferences, and the like. But, as with the spider, as long as we are fit and functioning effectively to accomplish our cosmic calling, we do not have to remain helpless, hopeless, clueless, and useless.

Yet, sometimes, even if granted eight legs, we may not succeed in our vain attempts to rescue ourselves from many dangerous and potentially life-threatening chasms and vicious vortexes of socio-economic corruptions, political falsehoods, psychological perversions, philosophical distortions, or theological deceptions, created by deep, dark subterranean psycho-gravitational forces which suck us into gloomy, black, sinister and abysmal mental pits.

Worse still, like the spider, being devoid of deeper spiritual insight and transcendental foresight, we, too, may lack appreciation or acceptance of some meaningful, divine lesson we have to be taught by trials and tests. This is when pro-actively planned perseverance and dedicated devotion to achieve our greater God-goal, requires the full utilization of all our spiritual, mental and psychological forces to scale some steep slippery slopes out of the murky abyss to finally reach the enlightened summit of spiritual victory. This cognitive awareness and intuitive intelligence the spider lacks; hence it perceived the walking stick as a threat to its existence instead of a gracefully granted opportunity for deliverance—salvation!

Often, amidst the severest trials, we develop a myopic spider mentality. We, sans spiritual insight or mental foresight, are unable to comprehend or appreciate the reality that a supernatural Being is observing our struggle from “outside the bath”, ready to assist us with a lift to higher and safer levels—to plateaus of divine deliverance. We, spider-like, might retreat, dodge, sidestep, or run a mile around the symbolic helping “walking stick” extended to us by a heavenly hand of mercy; rejecting the offer of divine, supernatural intervention.

These are the moments when the natural and satanic forces have risen from the dark, dismal depths to overtake our faith. And, it is not due to the Almighty forsaking us, but rather that we through careless neglect have veered off course, forsaking, if only temporarily, the one and only true path. Because we forsook, He forsook. But, the great and gracious God is ever ready to make us more than conquerors in Christ! Because He conquered, we can conquer!

We have this absolute and sure promise: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” [Rom 8:35-39].

After an unabated frustrating fight we, like the spider, in sheer exhaustion, might yield to the powers that wish to drag us into an abyss of empty hopes, with vain and fruitless self-saving efforts. Weary and worn, mentally frazzled, spiritually disheartened, psychologically battered and beaten we eventually quit the struggle. And, if not helped by some merciful intervention we will soon die … die an arachnidan-type death--unnoticed, unmourned, forgotten; a life too short-lived, too ephemeral, too meaningless, too inconsequential to the great divine design of the universe and the purpose of our lives.

Human life can be, like the spider's, an up-hill battle—fighting to scale the slippery slopes in a world that constantly present us with seemingly insurmountable struggles. Constantly sliding back we are unable to get a good grip on life. We struggle against unequal odds. Physically we become drop-dead tired, spiritually exhausted and psychologically distressed. Mentally we try to plumb the depths of our raison d’etre. We discover our natural, innate capacities are unfit for the challenge. We ponderously consider the ultimate questions of life: Why am I here? Why was I born at this time, in this land, among these people? Why the constant battles? Why the perpetual losses?

After a thousand more “Why’s”, having gained no clarity or resolved anything of significance, the psycho-spiritual demon-warfare, and many fruitless self-saving attempts, we are overwhelmed and simply disintegrate. As with the spider, the constant slipping back becomes too much, too often. We quit. We die.

However, there is Someone with a “walking stick” [not that He needs it!] to lift us aloft into a place of safety. Being blind sometimes to the help that is extended from on high, we struggle on beyond the point of Human Endurance and finally, due to self-inflicted spiritual myopia, we quit the life-battle. Disappointment, discouragement and desperation finally overwhelms us and we fall along the wayside.

Christ spoke of this “wayside falling” in Matthew 13:3-4, “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls [demons] came and devoured them.”

After constant failures and ensuing disappointments the socio-economic and spiritual vultures of this demonic world enjoy easy pickings. Many thousands, overawed in a mental miasma, crushed by the pressures of mere existence, have ended their lives in the current Covid-crisis. They have opted out of life itself. Suicides by those unable to connect with the “walking stick” from on high, are increasing at an unprecedented rate, reminiscent of the 1930’s stock market collapse.

As the world rushes headlong and heedlessly towards Armageddon, and amidst the crushing hardships the elect will face, we must realise that we have the “walking stick” extended to us at all times. We need to have our spiritual sights set upon what is offered from the caring "Father of all spirits". Christ put it this way: “Watch and pray.” Without cautious, holy optimism—that is trust in the Eternal Creator—and careful circumspection as to the times we live in, our salvific opportunities may be lost. We may even view the extended “walking stick” as a threat; as a life-destroying and not a character-building episode.

There are, by Yehovah’s grace, two elements of great importance that earmark the victorious life of true believers: 1) perseverance in faith and 2) overcoming in obedience.

Matthew 10:17 “Beware,” Christ said, “of men: for they will deliver you [true believers] up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues [in their religious institutions, in churches—as did the Catholics, and Calvin and “Christian” cronies with some true believers] ... 22 And you shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endures [PATIENTLY SUFFER AND PERSEVERE] to the end shall be saved.”

The victorious Christian life is a life of CONSTANT ENDURANCE of hardships, trials, tests, even religious and civil persecution. The few who SUCCESSFULLY endure the testing period and OVERCOME ALL OBSTACLES, will receive the crown of life!

Though the Eternal is always aware of our plight on “Planet Persecution” and always willing to deliver, He nonetheless expects all of us to act as determined warriors in His victory-striving army. We must fight

as if the battle is ours and ours alone, yet deeply aware that His helping hand hovers over us at all times. Faith and works are not separated under the canopy of grace. Hear, O people of Elohim, the Master’s appeal:

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments… whosever is begotten of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.”

Christ concludes the encouragement to overcome in Revelation 21:7: “He that overcomes [conquers and gains the victory] shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

Seven times earlier true followers of Christ—the ecclesia—were admonished to overcome whatever obstacle, trials, and tests they face in life. [See Rev 2:7: 11; 17; 26; 3:5; 12; 21.] Clearly, each true believer has the personal responsibility to subdue, conquer, overcome and perseveringly “fight the good fight”. Paul admonishes us by encouraging Timothy: “O man of God… follow after [pursue it as a life-goal] righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight [agonize, struggle] the good [virtuous, valuable] fight [contest] of faith; lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you were called…” [1Ti 6:11-12].

By employing the metaphors of the Olympic games—wrestling, running, boxing, and warfare, all which require extreme physical effort, strength of mind, determined courage and supreme physical fitness—Timothy is urged to rise above the futile struggles for the materially perishable and the spiritually worthless; the "things" of this decaying world. We, too, must “fight the noble fight of faith”.

We vigorously strive to “lay hold”— that is, to seize firmly, grab with the intention never to let go—of the only prize that has eternal value. We seize with intention and determination the God-objective of human creation—eternal life!

To succeed, the Christian struggles against Satan, society, self, and sin. Overcoming faith derives its power from the Word [regular bible study] and it extracts courage and comfort from our exemplar, Christ, through the indwelling empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” [1 Corinthians 15:57.]

John adds the other dimension to the overcoming life when he writes: “Anyone begotten [Gr. gennao, begotten; spiritually regenerated but not yet born] of God refuses to practice sin, because God's seed [the regenerating seed, the Holy Spirit] abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been begotten of God” [1 John 3:9; bold added].

John reiterates this vital truth in 1 John 5:18. “We know that anyone begotten of God does not keep on sinning; the One [Christ] who was born of God, protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him.” Christ protects the obedient!

As the dramatic “Opera America” is presently being scripted by a group of seemingly Godless miscreants, many of God’s true people will be exposed to bitter persecution, terrible trials and mounting material losses in the coming weeks, months and years. But Paul encourages us as he did young Timothy: “War the good warfare" [1 Tim 1:18]. By personal example and testimony Paul further inspires us with the following words:

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended [obtained the prize]: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark [the goal] for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Paul elsewhere admonishes us to run the race of eternal life towards everlasting reward in such a manner as to obtain the incorruptible prize [1 Cor 9:24]. His admonition is a forthright and daring challenge to spiritual victory:

“And every man that strives for the mastery [struggles and fights with the adversary, Satan] is temperate in all things [self-controlled in all disciplines and activities in life]. Now they [the Olympic athletes] do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we [the spiritual warriors obtain] an incorruptible [crown]… I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” [1Co 9:25-27, emphasis added]. Seems some work is required in addition to faith! We have to climb up the "walking stick" offered by the Father, Christ the hope of glory! Without the effort [work] faith is dead! [James 2:17.]

We have a heavenly Father who will extend to us more than just a walking stick to assist us in our progress towards the great goal of life—that is, inheritance of His Eternal Kingdom. He has endowed us with more than eight flimsy legs to confront the screaming uncertainties of life. He has given us mind, spirit, life, the desire, the will and all the powerful Christ and Spirit resources. [See Phil 2:12-13.]

When encountering the spiritual and physical slings and arrows the "dogs" and demons hurl at us, remember the walking stick. And remember, you are more than a spider!

[SPECIAL NOTE: In reference to conquest and victory we do not in any manner identify with the charismatic heresy of “Kingdom Now”. The victory is not of the church over the world through deploying the assistance of corrupt politicians. It is individual victory over the corruption within the world, ourselves, and over sin, so that Christ upon His return can have a purified bride who, with Him as Divine Ruler, will reign over all nations. The church in its present, corruptible state is NOT DESTINED to rule over nations.]