Spiritual
Safari
By Elin Henderson
“Search me oh God and know my heart, try
me and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and LEAD me
in the way everlasting.”
When we hear the word “safari,” it usually conjures up visions of elephants and
lions swarming around a group of pith-helmeted tourists dressed in khaki with
binoculars or expensive cameras stuck to their heads. Actually, the word “safari” is a Swahili word just meaning
“journey or trip.” No pith helmets, cameras or wild animals needed. It’s a
means of getting somewhere and actually going there. We recently took a long
safari from Mozambique down through Zimbabwe, Botswana and finally into South
Africa. As a family, it was an incredible time of seeing God’s awesome creation,
but the safari went well beyond that for me.
God had a spiritual safari planned for me that far surpassed the physical safari I had planned. He led me to some
frightful places that I would have rather never visited as He revealed the
wildness of my heart. He exposed areas that need a little (or a lot) of
rehabilitation. And by the power of His Spirit, He began a gracious work of rebuilding
and renewing. He gave me glimpses of how I am fearfully and wonderfully made
and how He delights to use me (the crazy and all) for His glory. It was a
safari of highs and lows, but as my faithful Guide, He never left my side…walking
hand-in-hand with me, leading, protecting and caring for me along the way.
Sometimes as we venture off on a safari, God has a lot
more in store for us than we ever expected! Your next safari could just be
another typical one, or you could be in for a real surprise when God turns it
into a spiritual safari unlike anything you have ever experienced before. Just
hold on to your pith helmets and keep those binoculars at the ready for the
amazing things that He will reveal to you, work in you, and through you!
GOING DEEPER:
1.What are some spiritual safaris
that God has taken you on? Can you recall the lessons learned? What were you
like before you went on that “safari” and then after you returned? How does
that encourage you?
2. Next time you are out for
coffee with a friend, make this a topic of discussion and exchange “spiritual
safari” experiences.
FURTHER READING:
Oakwood’s
missionaries Elin Henderson (a registered nurse) and her husband Phil serve as
church planters with New Tribes in Mozambique, Africa. Elin is mother to seventeen-year-old Callie
and fourteen-year-old Elias.
