To Nest Above

“Your feathers are white now, My eagle,” He said. “You are ready to nest above.”
He waved His hand to allow me to see an ivory palace on a high mountain.

“This is yours, if you want it,” He said.

“It is very beautiful, Father,” I said slowly, not wishing to seem ungrateful. “But,” I smiled wistfully, “I would never be there. I would always be away from home because I would want to be near You. You are my home, Daddy, just as You are my Beloved’s home. It has taken me a great deal of time to realize this. But now I know that there is nothing on Earth or in heaven that I desire. I want only my Father. I want Jesus. I want my friend, the Holy Spirit. If I may live where I would be the happiest, allow me to live amid the coals of fire within You. Let me be a pillar in the temple of my God, never to go out again.”

My Father gave a small cry of pure joy. “You have chosen,” He said.

Aloes

Suddenly, there was a release of the fragrance of aloes. I knew that aloes meant “little tents” (so named for the intimacy of the bridal tent/chamber). I too had chosen intimacy. I had chosen nearness to my God.

I breathed in the fragrance. So did my Father. It was satisfying.

The Crown

My Father continued, “Anna, My child, you will need to borrow your crown for the ceremony. You will wear it for this special occasion. But it will not be placed into your hands until your service on Earth is completed.”

A crown of gold came from my heavenly Father. He held it higher than my eye level. The crown had two gems. The large emerald that my Father had given me was in the center. The slightly smaller emerald given to me by Jesus was on the side. There were golden sockets for other jewels. No other gemstones were present at this time, however.

He continued, “I have added to your crown twenty-four sapphires.” These immediately appeared, encircling the large emerald on the front.

“Thank You, Daddy,” I said. I wondered how I merited these gems.

My Father answered my thoughts. “You cannot earn the uncreated,” He said. “But you can grow up [into Christ] to manifest the uncreated. Something borrowed,” He added, “something blue.”

The Attendants

My Father continued, “Twenty-four stars attend this crown. They will bring to you the covenant garment, your crown, and your veil. These will dress you and attend you at the ceremony.”

I saw that the crown had twenty-four points around the top. I wondered if there was some connection between the points of the crown and the angelic attendants. But He did not give an explanation.

“Is there something that I need to do, Daddy?” I asked.

He answered, “Sleep with henna on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet as an outward sign [of an inner grace]. My Son is coming,” He said. “Be ready.”

Twenty-four angels that looked like young women appeared on the sea of glass. They were dressed in white. My Father handed to them the crown, the covenant garment, and the veil. The gown and veil also came from His own person.

“My child,” the Father continued, “you have My blessing.” His glory came from Him and kissed my forehead.

“Thank You, Daddy,” I said.

He picked me up and placed me in front of the twenty-four angels. “Go with your attendants,” He said.

We all bowed. Then the angels parted to allow me to pass through their number. They escorted me from the throne room.

Instantly we were walking across the meadow in the Garden of God.

Henna

We walked to the tree of life. I was silent. I did not feel like talking. The angels were silent also. A very important event lay before me. But I did not know what it was or even how it would look.

Once we reached the trunk of the tree, the attendants busied themselves applying henna paste to the palms of my hands and the soles of my feet. The air hung heavy with the smell of the spice.

I held on to the tree that was strangely warm. I did not watch the angels because I was nervous, distracted.

Wishing to encourage me, one of the angels said, “Henna is the last of the spices.” It faintly registered with me that I had been carried through Esther’s preparations.’

When the statement did break through to my consciousness, I thought, “How right that I should enter the kingdom through the shed blood of Jesus, and now before this important event, an outward sign should be placed upon me.” Within myself, I thanked the Lord for forgiving me. Then I continued aloud, “I ask for forgiveness for any sin that I have committed, and I forgive everyone for sins committed against me.” I looked at the angels, “It says in the Word to confess your sins to one another.” The angels looked bewildered. Then I realized that angels do not confess to one another. I changed the subject. “Does anyone know what I am to do here at the tree of life?”

Rest

“Rest,” one angel said. “You have experienced much.”

I laughed wearily. “Yes,” I affirmed. “But I am very excited and nervous.”

“Resting in the tree of life will strengthen you,” another added. “We will lift you into its branches,” said another. Before I could think about it, they lifted me. They began carrying me upward. It seemed as though the tree accommodated us, for we struck no branches.

High in the tree, they lay me in a juncture that cradled me. It was very comforting to rest in its branches.

“We will return when you have rested,” an attendant said. “Thank you,” I smiled at them.

They were gone.

I lay there looking up into the branches of the tree, thinking of my Lover, my Friend. The soft lights of the leaves and fruit soothed me. I did not think I could rest. But I did.

Before falling asleep, I lifted my hands to look at them again. I spoke quietly, “O my Beloved, what is going to happen?”