The other night I had a dream. There was a fledgling young giraffe at a Bethel warehouse. It was playful. It was growing. It was just walking around and having fun.

The calf in the dream is a good illustration of what it means to pursue growing in the prophetic. The young giraffe with its long neck symbolizes the prophetic. The long neck allows it to see from a higher perspective. It is young. It is still growing. The giraffe is growing in a prophetic culture, symbolized by the Bethel warehouse. The warehouse was largely empty except for a few employees so that the giraffe could be playful but not hurt itself, others or equipment.

I think that when we pursue the prophetic, we have to make sure that initially we have a safe place to grow. This may mean that we’re in an environment where we are free to fall, slide and make mistakes. We want to make sure that we’re not hurting ourselves or others.

Positioning ourselves is an important aspect of growth. Just as we allow children to play in the preschool playground where there are toys appropriate for their age and stage of development, we want to make sure we are doing the same for ourselves as we’re growing in the prophetic.

Sometimes this is not possible because God has us on our own trajectory or we are thrown into a war zone, so to speak. Then it’s a matter of walking with Holy Spirit, fire by baptism, or sheer survival.

However, where we have a choice, we should position ourselves in such a way that we have freedom to grow while at the same time being safe and responsible.

I don’t know what means for you in your current situation. Sometimes, God takes us out of our comfort zone and takes to a place where we can position ourselves to grow in the prophetic. Just make sure that you are ready to grow.

By Ralph Veenstra