Chapter 1 - The Western Woods

Elijah the eagle loved to fly, loved to sing, and loved to pray. So, you can imagine how happy he was whenever he got a chance to do all three together! Whenever Elijah would spread out his wings and begin to take flight, a song of praise to the Lord would erupt from his mouth. Then as he soared high above the Western Woods singing, between songs he would pray for all the creatures in the woods that made up the different parts of Jesus’ family. 

As you know, eagles can see things very well even from far away. One day as Elijah was flying over the Western Woods, he looked down into the forest and noticed some of the Methodist Mice and the Baptist Beavers throwing rocks and slinging mud at one another. When he saw this, a tear came to his eye and the Holy Spirit stirred him to pray. “Father,” he began, “in Jesus’ name I pray that You would bring your family in the Western Woods to full maturity. Bring us to the unity of the faith. Fill us with a true knowledge of the Son of God. Teach us Your ways, Holy Master. Make us strong in the truth so that we are not blown around like leaves in the wind when hard times come. Father, we, Your family in the Western Woods, are a big mess. I myself have thrown many rocks at my brothers and sisters, and I am the biggest mess of all. We are in desperate need of Your help. Father, You are merciful, and You are committed to making us like Jesus. All things are possible with You. Lord, You alone know the hearts of all the creatures in the Western Woods. I ask You to shape us, through Your Spirit, into a pure and spotless Bride made ready for the King’s return. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” 

When Elijah finished praying, he soared high into midair and began to sing a song out over the forest:

“From the crickets in the bushes to the frogs in the creek,

a heart one with Yours is the thing we seek;

From the fish in the pond to the squirrels in the trees,

in truth sanctify Your family;

From the bees in the hives to the deer in the field,

our hearts and minds to You we yield;

From the bears in the caves to the foxes on the run,

fill us with the truth of Your Beloved Son;

From the mice in the holes to the bugs in the moss,

bind our hearts together in the love of the cross;

From the beavers in the river to the critters that climb,

shape us into a spotless Bride.”

“Amen!” Elijah said as he finished the song. Then with a beautiful red sunset behind him, Elijah flew down toward the Great Oak where his nest was located.

As Elijah flew closer to the Great Oak, he noticed that there was something unusual sitting in his nest. “What could that be?” he wondered to himself. When he finally reached the nest, he found a large, clear jar full of sealed envelopes with names written on the back of them. Also, lying against the jar was an envelope with Elijah’s name written on the back of it. Elijah opened the envelope and found a letter written to him. It was from Jesus!

“Dear Elijah,” the letter began, “I have heard your prayers for the Western Woods. I, too, deeply desire the different parts of My Body to be sanctified in truth, and to be one, just as I and My Father are one. My dear friend, I love you, and I am writing to let you know that I am on the move to answer your prayers. I have summoned a council of seven animals to gather together for a meeting here at the Great Oak. The invitations to the meeting arrived in their mail boxes about a week ago, and all seven will arrive here tonight at 11:00pm. In this jar you will find seven sealed envelopes. There is one envelope for each of the creatures who will be at the council. In the envelopes are seven letters, and written on the back of each envelope are directions for what I want done with each letter. Please make sure to tell the seven animals how important it is that they follow the directions exactly. These creatures will be My messengers to My family in the Western Woods. Elijah, it is the eleventh hour before midnight, and My return is drawing near. I must get my family ready so that they can stand firm through the hard times that will precede My Second Coming. Elijah, those whom I love, I discipline. I am going to send fire to the Western Woods. The fire will be hot and the testing fierce. Many in my family may even be tempted to believe the devil’s lies and doubt My love for them. However, it is through fire that I will bring my family together and remove the deception from their minds and their hearts. Once they have been humbled, I will heal their wounds. Then they will be ready to remain faithful to Me as a pure and spotless Bride through the hardest time the world has ever known! I am the Lord, and I will do this work!”

When Elijah finished reading the letter, he trembled with the fear of the Lord. Jesus was serious about His Bride, and He was about to purify her with fire. This was not going to be easy news for the animals of the Western Woods to hear! And yet, at the same time, Elijah’s heart was also filled with joy. For even though the fire of Jesus’ discipline would be hot, thorough, and relentless, it would also lead to cleansing, truth, and freedom. Through the fire Jesus’ family would enter into the fellowship of His sufferings. And Jesus has promised that those who share in the fellowship of His sufferings in this age, will also fellowship with Him in eternal glory in the age to come.