C. J. Murray

Once upon a time..

There was a young man
With weak knees and timid eyes
In the midst of the strong and brave.

As their general entered the room,
His eyes instantly found the young man.
Smiling, he approached with a firm handshake.
“Hi! I’m —-, and you are?.. Glad to see you! We’ll talk at break!”

Later, as the general finished first orders,
He straightway pointed to the distant young man,
And with a steady finger, motioned him closer.
(You. Yes, you! Come here! Let’s talk!)

With anticipation and a grand smile, he asked,
“Tell me, what has God been doing in your life?”
The young man pulled out a small, worn knife.
The general took it and held it in awe.

“Praise the Lord for this knife!
God has done so much to give you this!
Please, let me take you to my King.
I would like to put in a word for you.”

Suddenly, the general kicked open
The doors to the throne room of heaven,
And with strong and confident arms, he carried
The weak young man before the throne.

“Lord, see to it that this young man
Be prepared fully, to the utmost!
Train him to brave the front lines
And venture into the darkest of places!”

The general, with all fervor and boldness,
Quickly sifted through the King’s arsenal.
“Train him to sustain this and perform this!
Prepare him to run like this and climb like this!”

“This Sword! Strengthen his grip to swing this!
This shield! Grow his faith to block like this!
This armor of Christ! Build him up to wear this!
Provide every ounce of training necessary!”

The general spoke with a heavenly confidence.
He spoke with a faith that shouted something of,
“Ahah! I have found yet another up-and-coming warrior-poet!
One day, he will certainly be added to God’s Holy Gibborim!”

It was as though a lion had entered into the young man’s chest,
As though he had stepped out of Captain America’s steroid pod.
He felt an intense shot of Holy Spirit adrenaline rush through his veins,
Yet.. most of the specific requests will forever escape his memory.

The young man trembled in awe, with holy reverence,
And with a resounding, doubtless “Amen!”
He looked up to see his righteous King
Nod firmly, as if to say, “I will see to it.”

As the young man sat back down,
A single yearning was left in his soul.
“Never again do I want to enter the throne room
Without such an unwavering boldness and confidence.”

For suddenly, his hand ached to swing that broad Sword,
His forearm longed to lift the solid, mighty shield of faith,
His skin cried out to embrace the fullness of Christ’s armor,
And his knees lifted with hope that God’s plans will be realized.

It was “only” a four minute and twenty second break.
It was “only” one single minute before the throne of God.
But as the young man left the training quarters,
He knew that one thing was for certain:

“My King will see to it all, beginning to end,
And I am willing, no matter the cost.”