Dear Brethren,
Isaiah 43:2-3, "When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; When you walk through
the fire you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For
I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. "God
has blessed me with an understanding wife. If it were not
so, I could not do what I do. I am on the road most of the
time, and when I do get to spend a night in my own bed, I toss and turn
thinking about the next trip we are about to embark on and how many hours
it will take to get there. The first week of March we were in California,
and after preaching in a friend’s church that Sunday night, we
returned to our hotel to pack for the flight the next morning. Throughout
the day my wife had been on my heart, and I felt more than a little guilty
knowing that I would get home that Monday night, pack, and Tuesday be
off again for a ten day speaking tour. That night as I went to
bed I prayed for God to keep my wife safe, as I do every night, and fell
into a restless sleep. As I slept, I had a dream. I dreamt
I was asleep when suddenly I felt a presence in my room. I
opened my eyes, to see a man standing by my bedside, hands at his side,
looking down at me. I was not scared, for I had seen the man
in my dreams many times before. I sat up and waited for the
man to speak. "The Father has sent me to strengthen you," he began. "You
have said in your heart, 'I know what is to come and do not fear it,
but if it be your will, protect the one I love.'" "Come, see, and be
strengthened," the man said extending his right hand. I took
his hand, and instantly we were on a high plateau that was very large
in size. As I looked and my eyes began to adjust to the dusk,
I realized we were not alone. A great army was standing at
attention, all dressed for battle, swords in hand, each one glowing it
seemed from within. There were rows, upon rows of angels,
in armor, in perfect formation. It was a stunning sight to
behold. I was speechless as I scanned the great army, extending
as far as the eye could see. Suddenly the man standing next to me gave
an almost imperceptible nod, and the entire army ascended toward the
heavens, like a million fireflies, and began to disperse each one going
his own way. Still too stunned to speak I followed the lights with
my eyes, until I could see them no more. Before I could ask
any questions, the man looked at me and smiled. "They are
the guardians," he said, "they are the protectors of the righteous. Soon
all will see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between
those pure of heart and those in which darkness still resides. Soon
it begins." As he spoke these words, the ground began to shake
under my feet, and I heard a powerful explosion to my left, then another
to my right. As I woke up, I could feel a searing heat on
my face. I share this dream today, in the hope that it will strengthen
you as much as it has strengthened me. As children of God
we should not fear that which is to come upon the earth. We
are His beloved, and the angels of God have already been dispatched,
to protect His Children. Our duty remains what it has always been, to
daily do the will of God, to daily crucify the flesh, and daily press
in and desire to know more of Him. Psalm 34:2-3, "My
soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and
be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His
name together."
Psalm 34:7, "The angel
of he Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them."
