I am not particularly fond of spiders; in fact I can't stand them.
Just looking at them gives me the chills.
However I was moved by an essay that John Piper wrote about how the European Water Spider points to the glory of God.
This species of spider has the unique characteristic of living at the bottom of a lake while still needing to breathe air.
To compensate for these two contradictory needs the spider has an ingenious method which allows it to trap air below the surface.
As the spider floats to the top of the lake he does a summersault which creates an air bubble that he then drags to the bottom of the lake.
Upon each descent the spider traps the bubbles with a web, continuing this process over and over again until one large oxygenated den is built several feet below the surface.
The spider then lives out his life in this balloon where it eats and lives and mates.
Such genius, such creativity, such wonder! All of this design in this simplest of creatures.
The prophet Isaiah once grasped a sense of this marvelous truth when the Lord told him, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
It was beauty such as this that led Clyde Kilby to share "How to Stay Alive in God's Glory" in which he suggested that a person should frequently enjoy gazing at a star or a flower, to often turn to good music and good literature, and to assume the universe is guided not by meaninglessness, but by God.
Astonishingly Jesus makes it clear that God wants us to see his hand not only in nature but throughout our daily lives.
Compassionately he tells us, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).
For many the idea of God wanting to show them love is hard to grasp.
They often project images of impatient or uncaring earthly fathers upon God.
Yet Jesus tells us it is his "good pleasure to give" to those who would simply receive.
How precious a promise, one often lost in the business of daily life.
Perhaps we need to be reminded of the love of God.
Perhaps we simply need to walk outside and gaze at the heavens, to embrace the beauty of a flower, or even...
if only for the briefest of moments...
consider the wonder of a spider.
Just looking at them gives me the chills.
However I was moved by an essay that John Piper wrote about how the European Water Spider points to the glory of God.
This species of spider has the unique characteristic of living at the bottom of a lake while still needing to breathe air.
To compensate for these two contradictory needs the spider has an ingenious method which allows it to trap air below the surface.
As the spider floats to the top of the lake he does a summersault which creates an air bubble that he then drags to the bottom of the lake.
Upon each descent the spider traps the bubbles with a web, continuing this process over and over again until one large oxygenated den is built several feet below the surface.
The spider then lives out his life in this balloon where it eats and lives and mates.
Such genius, such creativity, such wonder! All of this design in this simplest of creatures.
The prophet Isaiah once grasped a sense of this marvelous truth when the Lord told him, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing" (Isaiah 40:26).
It was beauty such as this that led Clyde Kilby to share "How to Stay Alive in God's Glory" in which he suggested that a person should frequently enjoy gazing at a star or a flower, to often turn to good music and good literature, and to assume the universe is guided not by meaninglessness, but by God.
Astonishingly Jesus makes it clear that God wants us to see his hand not only in nature but throughout our daily lives.
Compassionately he tells us, "Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).
For many the idea of God wanting to show them love is hard to grasp.
They often project images of impatient or uncaring earthly fathers upon God.
Yet Jesus tells us it is his "good pleasure to give" to those who would simply receive.
How precious a promise, one often lost in the business of daily life.
Perhaps we need to be reminded of the love of God.
Perhaps we simply need to walk outside and gaze at the heavens, to embrace the beauty of a flower, or even...
if only for the briefest of moments...
consider the wonder of a spider.