A sovereign quake pivots from the north to the south, from the east to the west. My hearing aspires to harness its sequence, but I fail to secure a bearing. It seems sporadic and has variable outbreaks, yet I apprehend a design of order. The residual of its path leaves behind a deafening drone. An awesome mist wreaths the majestic province while adoration sails in a haze. Somewhere in its shifting I hear an appointed trill gliding through. The closer it gets the more it matures into a profound ringing. Abruptly it crescendos through me, and pounds corkscrews into the earth.
My face settles in the soft rich soil. The earthen scent acquaints me to this homeland. Slowly my understanding returns from fog. Looking around I observe as the mist mobilizes into a heavy and gradual spin, thickening into a cloud. I am centered, trying to perceive this holy billowing as it revolves powerfully and peacefully around me.
Before I can even raise myself up, the atmosphere narrows in, and I feel a heavy imprint in the soil before me, followed by another. My body halts. I even try to compose my quivering that falls between the deep quake below. The haze scrolls back, exposing a figure I can only see through my peripheral.
The moment I raised my eyes forward and rested them on my first sight, revelation spoke to me. I saw Your gentle toes placed in the dew coated earth where Your peaceful feet fastened. Your legs pillared through with strength and honor. Your waist wrapped with might and spiraled upward around Your back curved in righteousness. Your shoulders broad as the Almighty sloping down humbly into Your chest, protective like a father. You have the neck of a counselor. You have skin of a savior, robed in a king's garment. Wisdom crowns Your head with glory. You have the face of God. Your eyes blaze with fiery passion. Life forms Your lips. Everything I take in when I look at You instructs me affectionately. Every time I see you, I am overwhelmed with the infinite discovery of You.
You face me to You. You hold my forehead and give knowledge. You touch my eyes and give discernment. You brush my lips and give wisdom. You press my heart and give understanding.
The Creator offers His hand…
My eyes open to us walking through a golden field of wheat, just as the sun slows into dusk. Mellow clouds stroke the broad orange sky as the winds push them along. I twist my arm with His as He engages in conversation, close by His side. I follow His lead and pleasantly reminisce with my Lord.
Between recalling and sharing my stories, I see Your eyes sparkle with each memory. I love to know that You were there, no matter what it entailed. You being there was the good part. You being there was the life, and You being there was the life that was behind the death. No matter what, I love You being there…
There was a battlefield and the infernal territory was obscure. I walked through the biting heat, mingled with infiltrating sulfur. The dark ones prowled between ravenous pits of fire that funneled above. I was armored in light, and loathed. The hideous creatures were afraid and sulked in shadows. Around me were shrieks, other evils gathered in jeering amusement. The malicious beasts became increasingly uncomfortable with me as their intruder.
The more I walked, the more they were forced. They licked their fangs, and salivated for my destruction. They snorted and heaved when the aroma of the Lamb reached their flaring, craved nostrils. A thirst for bloodshed shot through them, enticing them beyond measly restraint. Their muscles contracted and twitched, stomping for the command.
Finally a creature panicked and broke through, howling and hurling towards me, slicing my cheek with a strong slash of its black, razor-tipped talon. As if it cursed itself, it receded back and deteriorated in torture. The wicked audience jubilated for the entertainment. Their eyes flared with red hypnosis and set their desire once again on me as prey.
My gash throbbed and stung. I placed my hand over the wound and saw that blood spilled from it, causing the hungry enemies to cough and hack from their strong thirst.
I heard a precise dart of an arrow pass by my ear. Nothing had changed. No dark enemy had fallen. I heard another arrow missile through the air, yet I saw no defeat. Suddenly a golden bow appeared in my hand and drove strength through my arm. My right hand felt a thrust of power, and I saw that I held a shaft of light that took the form of an arrow. I sensed a discouraging demeanor in the pack of beasts.
Their legs weakened and they turned into a mass whine. The red that swirled in their eyes dissolved and filled with doom. I lifted the bow, pulled the arrow back, and released a soaring arrow that shot straight through a devilish skull. They scattered in dreadful derision. As an arrow propelled, another appeared. One by one, they fell, dissolving in the torture of their own master.
It was eerily quiet around me as embers and ashes drifted chaotically through the dense air. I turned around to face a vast army of disciplined and hate consumed warriors of evil. The hate in their eyes had reached completeness, fully becoming vessels for their master.
They all just stood there with steady stature in ranks. There were thousands of them standing in the clearing beneath the black mountains. All of them seemed empty. My face was before them, yet they failed to comprehend me, or anything at all.
The ground began to roll with a quake. Once again, heavenly reinforcement came to me. Truth riveted down my arm and fashioned a sword in my grip. It had the weight of glory, its point justifying and the cut, convicting. The ground began to churn, ripping it from its foundation. The ranks remained comatose while their kingdom was shaking.
A brilliant light lacerated the sky above the black mountains and its rays breached the clearing. My heart skipped when I saw Home open it gates above me. The earth was trembling and began to split open. Violent magma was boiling and spiting over the ground. The sword tugged with a message to hastily advance forward.
With the sword in hand, I dashed as fast as I could down the hill that descended into the quaking domain and swung the sword heavenward. The Light gave power to the sword and destroyed each rank I broke through. The more I ran, the more strength came to me.
I couldn't stop running. With each defeat, the light intensified. Sounds too loud to distinguish dominated my hearing. I just ran, and ran, and ran. Until I finally fainted in my exhaustion, grounding me to the earth again...
My heart was desperate to calm down, my lungs trying to keep up. My chest hurt from the strenuous struggle to keep breathing. My eyes would roll from the tiresome trial to regain my composure. Feeling the light on my skin gently assured me I was home. Still trying to stabilize my wheezing breath, I became aware of an angelic choir that immediately began to sooth my distress.
My grip was still firmly grasping the sword given to me as I laid coiled on the ground. Notes of gentleness, peace, kindness, and love were sung to me in a way so unheard of. Each tone ministered me to finally rest.
Angelic ones started encircling me. Deep breaths of recovery smoothly left and returned while my body was retreating there. They were watching me, and even more assembled. My eyes glanced to see friendly smiles. It was so silent around me. Nothing was around but the sound of beautiful voices at a further distance. The closest thing to me was a feather that floated its way down to me from the movement of curious angels.
A subtle stir arose in the gathering of hosts. From the farthest one onward, one by one, they would step aside, making a pathway for the One coming through. From their reaction… I knew it was You. They closed the circle that broke from Your coming. You saw me, now lying at Your feet, resting with the sword tucked underneath me. Your brilliance strained my sight of You. Then You knelt and lifted my head, engulfing me in another hug.
