Sitting on the back porch in the early dawn, I saw two flies at the inside screen and heard a great commotion. I looked up and saw one fighting for his life because he was entangled in a spider web. Buzzing, buzzing, and shaking the web accompanied its life struggle. 

The spider is not close; it climbs away and watches.  As the fly's struggle wanes the arachnid returns and increases the encasement, spinning the fly while excreting its web. 

The active spider rises and the entangled fly follows at an equidistance.  No choice is his. He’s trapped alive, soon to die.

Has the poison entered?  I do not know. 

More spinning, this time the spider’s legs move, wrapping and wrapping the string around and around the fly.  A few more minutes and they’re close. 

Is this the bite, the injection of poison or maybe stomach juices, or acid that will change this one-time maggot into breakfast mush? 

The spider leaves the fly to mend his web, strengthening, recreating its structure.  Because they are no longer back-lit from the early morning sky, I know the spider has transferred the fly. Once more he retreats into the shadows. 

It is quiet now. 

Is there life left in the fly?

Is there any possible chance of escape? Is there a friend to cut him free as Sam did for Bilbo?  

Down below I notice the fate of the fly’s companion. Same story. Different corner. Different spider. Different web. Same fate for a different fly.

God has shown me this morning another natural example of a spiritual truth. 

The parallels are:

• fly = human
• spider = demon
• corner = off course
• web = trap
• noise = struggle for survival
• porch = habitation
• bite of spider = lie of enemy
• poison = thought-upon lie that infiltrates whole being
• waiting of spider = waiting of demon for lie's effect
• spinning = disorientation
• spider’s and fly’s equidistant travel = demon possession.

This was a journal entry from July 6, 2004