Spider’s Work

By Michael Pemberton

 "The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces" -Proverbs 30:28

 I don't know if I have ever seen three more unlikely looking people in all my life. "What are they doing here?" I thought to myself. Prostitutes don't come into the Christian Serviceman's Center. They hate us. We're always passing out gospel tracts along their routes and preaching to their clients. Not good for their business.

 But there they were, with their over-made faces and under-made clothes, invading our clean, Christian environment.  And they looked scared.  "Is the old man here?" "Where's the old guy?"  They all blurted out at once. Now I understood. "They're looking for Gaylord Chisholm," I thought. But I was so dumbfounded by their presence that I could only shrug my shoulders.  They began to chatter away nervously with things like, "He didn't give up on us, did he?"  And, "Tell him not to forget about us, please!"  I still didn't know what to say when another brother came to my rescue.  "He just been ill for a couple of weeks," Gene said, "He'll be back soon.  Can I help you?"

 What followed was nothing short of amazing.  Three prostitutes were miraculously saved by the grace of God that day.  But it was a little later that whole story came out.  It seems that one older brother named Gaylord Chisholm had made a daily routine of taking a handful of gospel tracts and walking downtown to speak with people about the Lord.  He wasn't pushy, just persistent.  He was there every day.  They probably laughed at him at first, perhaps even tried to argue with him.  But over time, his daily appearance broke through and showed to them his sincere concern for their souls.  He'd worked his way into their hearts.  His absence left them feeling like they had been abandoned.

 Even the White House has spiders.  No security system can keep them out.  Why?  Because spiders aren't brightly colored with flashing stripes and loud sounds.   They're just small, quiet, dull, and clingy.  Security systems can keep tigers out, but not spiders.  I had cause to remember this recently when I was reviewing a conversation I had with a lost friend.  It seems I acted more like a tiger than a spider.  Know what I mean?

 People build walls around their hearts because they're afraid of being hurt.  If you've ever tried to break through those walls, you know how hard it can be.  I know I've tried in vain to break down some of those walls.  And I have hurt people while trying to help them.

 Have you learned the secret of the spider?  Perhaps there is that unapproachable subject between you and your spouse.  Or maybe that person you've prayed for and tried to convince so many times.  Spider’s work is humble work.  Spider’s work is quiet work.  Spider’s work is hands on and behind the scenes work.  Most of all, spider’s work is patient work.  Jesus instructed us to be wise like serpents and harmless like doves.  Sounds like spider’s work to me.

 Can you imagine how much you could accomplish if you were more like a spider, and less like a tiger?  Start using your hands to get into somebody’s heart.  Patient persistence – what a concept.