The Call of Daniel

Lost in thought, I sat under a very large oak tree in my backyard, a place I liked to come and be alone, when something very strange began to happen. I felt a pressure from the inside of my body starting to pulsate. At the exact same time my body started to tremble so very lightly, and I could feel some sort of weight resting over it. I looked around to see what caused this presence, while trying to comprehend what was happening to me. My mind raced, I began to perspire and I felt anxious, due to my lack of understanding.  The trembling in my body increased as the presence grew heavier.  I tried to shake it off, but I could not.   Totally fixated by this sensation, I became unable to focus on my surroundings. My thoughts grew thick and the feeling spread throughout my whole body.  I continued to shake very hard and the fear rising up within consumed me, as I did not know what was going on and could not stop it. It seemed as though this would never end, but somehow I knew that it had only lasted a few minutes so far. In the same way, everything seemed to be moving quickly, yet nothing moved at all. As the presence intensified, my t-shirt became soaked with sweat and I struggled to breathe. Then it all stopped. ～ Suddenly, I found myself standing on a hard floor instead of being under the oak tree.  A thick cloud of fog that streamed with light obscured my vision.  The cloud moved all around me and when it brushed against me it felt alive.  Then a powerful voice called my name. "Daniel."   I shook from the power of this voice.  It was so strong that it vibrated all the way through my body. I looked around to see who called me, but could not see anything because of the thick cloud that streamed with light. This light moved like lightening in storm clouds, and the sound of my name resounded like claps of thunder. Every time I heard it, the vibration in my body increased. "Daniel, Daniel."   While I shook in fear from the power of this voice, the fog parted in front of me, which captured my attention. As I looked down the pathway that had just opened up, a man clothed in light started to walk towards me. Dressed in a long white robe with a gold belt tied around His waist, He approached gracefully until He stood in front of me. He had light brown hair that hung down to His shoulders and His eyes were like a fire that burned right through me. He stood so close that I could feel his warm breath on my face while He looked into my eyes. I did not know Him. "Daniel, I have called you to follow Me. I want you to walk with Me and talk with Me. I will show you My ways and how My Kingdom works.  You do not know who I am, but you will very soon.  Seek Me, and you will find the truth.  I shall use you as My voice to bring many hearts to Me.  You will come across others who have had a similar experience to this, whom you will build with, so that many will know My name and know how much I love them." I closed my eyes for a moment and as I reopened them, I went to ask Him His name, but He had gone. Looking around to see where He went, I noticed the fog filling back in the center, covering up the path. I had not paid attention to the fact that the trembling in my body had stopped, until it returned when the man disappeared.  I heard a soft voice off in the distance calling me. "Daniel, Daniel."  This sounded like my mother's voice. "Daniel, it is time for dinner." Then I heard the screen door shut with a bang.  I felt really weird. My thoughts were thick and I struggled to move my body.  Looking around, I realized I still sat under the oak tree.  It was starting to get dark, so I must have been in that place for two hours.  I found the strength to stand up, but almost fell down.  Walking to the house was slow and difficult, as my steps were more like a wobble than anything.  I tried to understand what had happened, but nothing seemed to make any sense.  Stumbling up into the house through the back door, feeling lost and disoriented, I washed my hands for dinner before joining my family in the dining room. "What happened to you, son?  You look like you have been run over by a truck."