An ancient story is told of a high government official (vizier) who had done something to offend his master. For his offence he was imprisoned in a high tower. His wife stood at the foot of the tower, crying because of her husband’s predicament.

The man said to her, “What good does crying do? Get busy and do something! Go home and get some silk thread, some packing string, some binder-twine, and a coil of heavy rope--and some butter. Then find a live beetle. Bring them all back here.”

His wife looked puzzled, but she knew that her husband was a wise man, so she hurried to do what he had told her to do. After she had gathered all the material together, she found a very active beetle. Back at the tower, she waited for her husband’s further instructions.

“Now,” said the vizier, tie the silk thread to the packing string, the string to the twine, and the twine to the heavy rope. When you have that all done, tie the loose end of the silk thread to the beetle. And put some butter onto the beetle’s head, and set him on the tower wall.”

The wife, eager to obey her husband, got to work and followed his instructions. She had no time to wonder what good all this was going to do. But as soon as she had put the butter on the beetle, and placed him on the wall, she began to see what her husband had in mind. The beetle scurried up the wall, supposing that there was a store of butter ahead of him. Finally he reached the window where her prisoner husband was waiting.

The man lifted the little beetle into the room, untied the thread, and set the beetle free. Then he busied himself with pulling up the thread, which led to the string, which led to the twine, and eventually he had the heavy cord in his hand. He secured it firmly to a pillar, and began his descent to freedom.
That is all it took, just a little silk thread.

It only takes a little faith to free us from our worry--a little faith, and a lot of perseverance, to rescue us from some of life’s worst dilemmas. Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them...for verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

If life’s problems seem insurmountable, don’t be like the wife, and stand around wringing your hands and crying; be like the husband, who didn’t see this as a problem too large to solve. It took only a silk thread of faith to procure the man’s freedom.

It takes only a thin silk thread, Just A Small Seed of Faith , to free us from our problem, whether it be sin, fear, worry, or health. So take heart!

© Helen Dowd