Whispers In The Wild
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About this ebook
This one-month collection of daily devotionals, is a journey into the wild. Written specifically about the author’s experiences in the world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa, it is a deeply personal account of how the beauty of nature can heal and restore.
This collection marks the author’s re-awakening from a severe decade-long writer’s block, following the death of her first husband. It offers readers a fascinating insight into some of the fauna and flora of the African bush, while encouraging and challenging you to embrace life more fully.
It contains beautiful photos and offers the reader daily opportunities for deep personal reflection, with a journal for each entry. This is not just a book – it’s a journey. An adventure of self-discovery, insight into nature, and hopefully, a deeper connection with the awesome God who created all living things.
Letitia Matthews II
Letitia cannot recall a time when words weren’t her friends and she wrote her first real story before she was ten years old. Later, her studies honed her skills, but life honed her heart. Through the death of her father and later, her first husband Eric, Letitia’s journey brought her pain she thought would never yield anything good. The decade long writer’s block following her husband’s death was defined by the blessing of finding new love, and the challenge of fighting Malignant Melanoma. Today, Letitia and her husband Peter, live in her favourite place on the banks of the Kruger National Park. In this little piece of paradise, Letitia has fulfilled her dream of writing full-time.Letitia has been in business for more than half her adult life, and uses that experience and passion to create written content, web sites and graphic design products to help her clients promote their businesses. She is also a blogger - her blog, www.zebraonmystoep.co.za, chronicles the joys of the simple life, while www.wordscount.co.za is aimed at helping her clients and fellow creatives to ‘put the magic in their messages’.Letitia loves nature and animals, and she enjoys photography and paper crafts. Letitia’s deepest desire is that her work will encourage her readers and honour her creator. She believes that God desires an intimate friendship with everyone, and hopes her writing will encourage her readers to accept God’s ‘friend requests’. You can email her: letitia@letitiamatthews.co.za
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Whispers In The Wild - Letitia Matthews II
Introduction
Do you ever find it hard to engage the world as it is today? This may sound like an absurd question, but as I write this, it has been a full week since I re-entered the real
world. The thing is, I still cannot get my head around the idea that this is the real world and the world I left behind, was not. For a week, I have intentionally tried to re-integrate myself with civilization and it has taken no small amount of discipline and prayer, (and I confess that I have not arrived yet)!
I had the privilege of spending a week in the iconic Kruger National Park, South Africa. Kruger Park is the place of my heart and over the past two decades it has been a place of restoration, rest, and communion with God for me. I have made many pilgrimages to this place of breath taking beauty, peaceful silence and awesome evidence of the existence of the Living God. This is the place where I can be just titia
. Titia, the daughter of the most High God of the Universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Perhaps as you read this, you have not yet had the experience of meeting or getting to know Him personally? Maybe you simply identify with my difficulty and at times trauma, of engaging and surviving the chaos of the advanced, civilized
world we live in? Either way, I invite you to share my journey and it is my heart’s prayer that you will find peace for your soul and a hope in the knowledge that our future is secure: Jeremiah 29:11 clearly says: "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12 "When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 13 "When you come looking for me, you'll find me. 14 I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." (MSG).
I don’t know about you, but I’m relieved to hear that God has got everything under control, because when I look around me, our civilized real
world, looks pretty messed up and uncivilized to me!
That is what makes coming out of the bush so hard for me. There, everything runs according to God’s plan and it runs WELL! Yes, there are occasional bumps in the road when man is allowed to interfere, but by and large, it’s a bubble on earth where creation is running as God intended it to. During my most recent visit to Kruger Park, God challenged me in new ways, reminded me of His love and comforted me as only He can.
These reminders and messages of His love came as whispers in the wild, breathing new life into my ailing spirit. This year (2012) marks the 10th anniversary of the death of my first husband, and I have not been able to write anything since. Recently, in Kruger Park, God unlocked my writing again and restored the desire to share what He has done for me, with you. He has whispered His love and restoration to me, through the breath of the Holy Spirit. As you share my journey, may He do the same for you.
Titia~
P.S. I have used the Message Bible for most scripture quoted, unless otherwise indicated, as I love the directness of this version. All emphasis has been added by me.
~1~
Refuge
Kruger Park infrastructure is excellent and there is a tarred main route extending from the bottom of the park to the top. Fair dirt roads offer visitors opportunities to venture deeper into the bush, but in my experience, the tarred route also offers excellent game viewing.
Kruger Park is home to the BIG 5: Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo, but there is also a diverse wealth of fauna and flora contained in the approximately 19,500 square kilometers of this natural wonderland. As I headed for the first camp on my journey, Berg en Dal, I drove with my window down and the wind blowing through my hair. I heard birds, insects and the rustling of grass and leaves. The sunshine was bright and hot. I felt free and there was joy bubbling up in my heart and my spirit. I had peace.
The exhaustion of the10 hour journey vanished without a trace in my joy to be at this destination that is so special to me. On the 12-km journey from the Malelane Gate to Berg en Dal, I could clearly see evidence of civilization beyond the edge of the wilderness – smoke stacks and tall buildings; farmlands and industrial structures, nestled unnaturally in the foot of the hills in stark contrast to the untouched beauty of God’s creation. I felt relieved to be on this side of the fence, headed for the safety and refreshment of the camp.
I was reminded of the cities of refuge referenced in the Bible. In Joshua 20 we read of the 6 cities, strategically located for anyone who was accused of an accidental murder, to be able to run to within a day. Once in the city, they were awarded asylum from the blood avengers of the victim, until the details and circumstances relating to the murder could be explained to the elders of the city for a verdict.
"Tell the People of Israel: Designate the asylum-cities, as I instructed you through Moses, 3 so that anyone who kills a person accidentally - that is, unintentionally - may flee there as a safe place of asylum from the avenger of blood ~Joshua 20:2-3 (MSG).
While I assure you that I haven’t committed a murder (or a crime for that matter), I easily identify with the comfort of a place of refuge. Just as I felt safe from the world in Kruger Park, I feel safe from the reach of the enemy when I run into the arms of Jesus. He is my refuge!
"God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. 2 We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and earthquake, 3 Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, God of angel armies protects us". ~Psalm 46:1-3 (MSG).
As a small child, I adored my Dad. When the world got a bit crazy, I would run and dive head-first into his pillow, where his unique scent would comfort me. He understood me as no one ever has before or since his death19 years ago. Following his death, I kept one of his blazers in my wardrobe and when I was feeling hurt or struggling with his loss, I would go and put my head in his blazer for that same comforting scent.
Years later, the scent had vanished and I passed the blazer on to someone who needed it. Then I re-discovered the arms of Jesus! Always wide open - ready to hold me and comfort me – my refuge. Believe me, there are times when I RUN into His arms, with the speed and desperation of someone who has a blood avenger on her tail! No matter what I’ve done, or what anyone has done to me, His arms are wide open for me to run into them, just as I am. I confess, there are days when I run into those everlasting arms several times a day and I’m not ashamed to admit that I greedily revel in the abundant refuge I find there!
Prayer Response:
Lord Jesus, thank you for recognising that I would have need of a place of refuge. In the absence of places and people that can ALWAYS be there for me, you gave your life and your blood so that I have full access to your love and grace. Thank you for being my refuge and help me to run into your arms without hesitation, when the enemy attacks me, when I am weary, or simply when I want to rest in your presence.
~2~
avoiding separation
Kruger National Park exists because a handful of visionaries had the foresight to preserve something very precious for future generations. As a result of their determination and tireless efforts, it became South Africa’s first park in 1926, and I am so thankful for their gift!
The park is 360 kilometers from North to South and just over 60 kilometers from East to West. It’s bigger than Israel! The park has