Sleeping With Spiders

I wrote that title and it still gives me the creeps! The problem is that it happened to me.

I was peacefully sleeping. My alarm clock went off and so I began to make my bed…but, right in between my pillows, very close to where my head had just been, was a giant wolf spider! Needless to say, that particular spider is no longer with us.

My issue is that there are still other spiders lurking. These kind are not of the arachnid family. These are often in the form of life events, circumstances or even people, that want to steal my joy and peace.

We hear a lot about resting in God’s arms or abiding in His love. I love the word pictures in the Bible about finding shelter under His wings, or Him hiding us in the cleft of a rock. I always understood those verses to mean that God would remove us from the uncomfortable positions we find ourselves in or take the “bad” things out of our lives in order to give us peace.

I am learning that this is not always the case. In Psalm 23, it mentions our Shepherd preparing a table before us actually in the presence of our enemies. (I know there is also some cultural significance to that as well.) To me this is very like sleeping with spiders. Instead of removing those things, God is with me in those circumstances, comforting me, teaching me, and yes, protecting me! I believe now that God wants to give us an even deeper, more transcendent peace. The kind that can rest in His arms no matter what is lurking near us.

“You prepare a feast before me in the presence of my enemies.” Psalm 23:5a NLT