"I am a messenger. I have been sent from the presence of the Great I Am."
The sword clattered to the wall top pavement. If it hadn't been for the supportive structure of the wall behind me I may have fallen over backwards to the ground far below. The figure in robes stepped forward and stooped down and picked up the sword and held it for a moment. I recognized him as being one of the angels of the storm that day when I had watched the Kurt family walk into heaven.
"This is a very good sword. It is right that you should have it. Take it back now."
The messenger extended the handle out to me and I took a hold of it tentatively in a sweaty loose fingered grasp.
"Why have you come? Have I done something wrong?" I managed to choke out.
The messenger shook his head no, "The I AM has sent me on no such mission, and if He had, no sword ever created could keep me from completing my divinely inspired directive."
I didn't doubt that and I felt only a slight relief at knowing that was not why this messenger had come.
"I have been sent with some words of instruction and to convey a blessing to a beloved servant in his grave hour of need."
There was a short period of silence in which I didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything, more out of fear of saying the wrong thing than anything.
"Tell me Roric do you want to win this battle?"
That seemed to have an obvious answer to it, but I doubted it as an answer as it sounded too much as if I had missed something.
"Yes." I responded hesitantly not sure where this was headed.
"Have you asked the Creator for victory?"
This I was sure of, "Yes!" I said firmly.
"Then do you also believe that He will do for you even as you have asked, if you have asked what you have in accordance with His will?"
I looked down as the question weighed down upon me and I warred within myself as to what to say in return. I looked up and responded, "I know the answer should be yes, but honestly I'm not sure."
I waited to be struck down dead, because I had basically said that I didn't trust the Creator to do as He had said in that He would never forsake me.
"Do you not see the problem with such faulty reasoning?" The messenger asked not unkindly.
I nodded solemnly and he continued, "In your heart you believe that God is who He says He is. He knows this as He weighs the thoughts of the hearts of men, but instead of acting in that faith you let doubt cloud your mind and hinder your actions, keeping you ultimately from becoming the kind of man you were created to be."