April 3

God's Grace

The Hyena and the Woman

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB)

Telling stories communicates basic biblical truths in Swaziland (SWAHzee-
land). After my husband tells a Bible story, he often tells an African
animal story that illustrates the same truth.

After the story about Adam and Eve and the first sin, he told a story
about a hyena’s encounter with an African woman and her three children.
The hyena was sleeping by the road with some rattles around his
feet. A woman and her children wanted to see him dance, shaking the
rattles. The hyena agreed to do so if she would give him a piece of the
dried meat she was carrying. One thing led to another, and he ate not
only all of her meat, but also the woman and her children. The hyena
was like Satan. He tempts us with something fun or beautiful but ends
up destroying us.

When my husband pretended to be the hyena dancing again for
more meat, the children in the room laughed. Everyone especially
laughed when the pastor, who was translating, danced like the hyena.
The women gasped when the hyena ate the woman in the story.
Who would have thought that something so silly would affect people
so much? At the end, the pastor gave an invitation, and a young man
came forward. He was like the woman in the story—he had danced
with the devil too long and wanted to follow God.

Are you dancing with sin and in danger of being eaten? God is waiting
for you to follow Him.

—R.G., Central, Eastern and Southern Africa

Heavenly Father, thank You that You perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish
me according to Your Word. Help me to resist the devil and to flee from him.
I pray this same prayer for missionaries today. Let them flee from sin. Amen.

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