Tom Jones was a soldier. A war was being fought in the thick jungle. The enemy had attacked ferociously. Many people in his regiment had been killed. There had been so much confusion that many of those who were alive had got scattered. They were trying to find their way back to the base camp.
Tom was alone and he could hear the enemy soldiers hunting for them in the forest. He looked around and saw a cave. Quickly, he took shelter there. He checked his guns and found that the guns had almost run out of all the ammunition.
“How will I defend myself if they attack me now?” he wondered, “Oh, God! Only prayer can help me. Perhaps the best thing I can do is to pray to God.”
So keeping one eye on the mouth of the cave, Tom began to pray for God’s help. He heard the soldiers coming closer and his heart beat fast. But he continued to pray.
He saw that there were some spiders in the cave. They began to weave a web at the mouth of the cave.
“Oh, God! Here I am praying to you for help. If you had rolled a stone into the mouth of the cave, that would have protected me and kept me safe. And here are spiders weaving a web instead! It can be swept aside with the wave of a hand. What’s the use of praying when God doesn’t help!”
Just then, he heard the sound of the boots of enemy soldiers outside and voices speaking to one another.
“One fellow must be somewhere here.”
“Look, there’s a cave here. He might be inside.”
“I don’t think he’ll be here.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Just look at the mouth of the cave. It’s covered with spiders’ webs. No one could have entered here without tearing them. They are so thick. I don’t think they have moved for months.”
“You are right. No one could have gone through those webs. Let’s look around near the river. Come.”
And Tom heard the boots going further and further away. He had been waiting inside, holding his breath, knowing that the smallest sound would give away his hiding place. As they left, Tom breathed again.
“Thank you, God!” were his first words, “I thought a stone would keep me safe. You are so much wiser. You sent the spiders to make a web! And that saved me! Thank You for this miracle!”
Moral: Miracles happen in strange ways.
