Given the very frightening, unstable and chaotic state of our world right now, each one of us could surely use our very own guardian angel. When our closest allies and friends turn against us, for no apparent reason except their own selfish gain, and we cannot believe a word they say, from one minute to the next, it is time to call down a super power from above! My young grandson, Jeremy, recently turned eight years old, and his request for a present included some of the Marvel superheroes…even children are picking up on the tension and angst occurring all around us. While I am unsure if we are each assigned a guardian angel, I have gleaned a few fascinating facts about angelic beings from reading the Bible.
First and foremost, ALL angels were created by God at ONE time in history (perhaps before the creation of the world) and are subject to God’s authority. They are all male in gender and can only be present in one place at a time in either human form or in their natural state. God opens our eyes to behold angels when it serves His purposes, and animals can also sometimes see angels when we cannot. It says in the Bible that they are made up of “wind, fire, and stardust”…indeed, the appearance of an angel can be both breathtaking and terrifying to us humans, depending on the form they take. There are angels who serve God as well as fallen angels who serve the devil (demons), but I will only speak about God’s heavenly angels here today. Most importantly, although we should hold angels in great awe and high regard, we must never make the mistake of worshiping God’s fellow created beings. Only God is worthy of our worship!
God’s angels serve several purposes for Him:
1. Angels are God’s messengers. They bring us news from God and are harbingers of things to come. In Exodus 3:2, the Angel of the Lord spoke to Moses through a burning bush, and in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ soon-to-be conception and birth to the virgin Mary in Nazareth. In the book of Revelation, 1:1, God’s angel communicated to John “things which must soon take place”.
2. Angels are God’s ministering spirits. In Matthew 4:10-11, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil, He commanded Satan to leave Him. After the devil left, “…angels came and ministered to Him (bringing Him food and serving Him).” Furthermore, in Luke 16:22, “…the poor man died and his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (paradise);….” What a comfort this promise is to all Christians, especially as we continue to age!
3. Angels are God’s warriors. Throughout time, angels have waged war with the enemies of God’s people, both seen and unseen. Back in Genesis chapter 19, two angelic visitors ushered Lot, his wife and two daughters out of Sodom before destroying the city entirely. In Exodus 14:19, the angel of God went ahead (and behind) the Israelites, protecting them as they departed Egypt and entered Canaan or the “Promised Land”. Finally, when Jesus rides triumphantly into the Battle of Armageddon, He will be followed by the armies of Heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and clean, all riding white horses (Revelation 19:14). This group will include all the redeemed and resurrected saints of all ages and all the angels of Heaven.
4. Angels are God worshipers. When they are not protecting and ministering to man and womankind, they live in the presence of God, continually shouting and singing praises to Him! Revelation 4:8 vividly describes the four living creatures who day and night never stop saying,
“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
The Biblical examples above only begin to scratch the surface of the role angels play in our lives. There are numerous other documented accounts of angelic experiences in the Bible, which exist even in today’s world. As I reflect back upon my own life, although I have never personally seen an angelic being, I know that my life has been protected and guided by these heavenly creatures, more times than I can count! I know for certain that my life and the lives of my brother, Greg, and sister-in-law, Betty, were spared during the terrible car accident we endured when I was in my early teens. Similar to the Delta jet that upended on the runway at Pearson Airport in Toronto this past month, our car skidded off the highway into the ditch, turning over and over, leaving us hanging upside down and suspended by our seatbelts. Sitting in the back seat, I was only protected by a lap belt, but most miraculously, I had no injuries of any kind (except some PTSD that eventually subsided). Indeed, none of us were physically harmed!
I often wonder how many other times, over the course of my troubled first marriage, did God spare my life through the timely intervention of angels? Even after I finally left my 30 year marriage, there were several very scary and disturbing incidents involving loose lug nuts on the wheels of my car; but in each instance, I managed to drive safely home or limp to a garage for assistance. Like Daniel in the lions’ den, God sent His angel to shut the lions’ mouths!
My husband, Paul, has also had encounters with angels…one time when we were out grocery shopping, a few years ago, we had the strangest and most incredible experience with a man who was a complete stranger to both of us. As we were pushing our cart towards the check-out, this older gentleman came up to us and addressed Paul with the statement: “You are loved…you are really, really, loved.” He repeated himself a second time, his expression very intense and solemn. Stunned into silence, we had no words for him in response. Eventually, I think I did say: “Yes, he IS really loved.” When we turned around to look at him again, he had mysteriously disappeared! I believe that God wanted Paul to know how very much HE loved him.
Some of us have had the privilege of being present when a loved one has died. When my beloved mother passed away in 1997, many of her nearest and dearest were with her in the kitchen of her home. She had end-stage congestive heart failure and was sedated with Morphine. Just a few seconds before she passed, she suddenly awoke from her deep sleep, sat straight up in her recliner, and gazed in astonishment towards the ceiling. Her sister and my two sister-in-laws were in the room with her and all three recounted how amazed she seemed…they all truly believed she saw a heavenly presence or angelic being, who no one else could see…ready to escort her through the gates of Heaven that day. For the past couple of days, Mom had been randomly shouting out phrases such as: “Heaven!” and “Glory!” and pleaded “Please, oh please, let me come in!”. Although she suffered greatly during the last few days of her life, God held her hand throughout her ordeal.
I would like to conclude with a final note of lightheartedness…God also has a great sense of humour, which He sometimes displays when we really need a good chuckle. A couple of years ago, when my husband and I were going through a particularly difficult time with his health, I was feeling very sad and lonely. In our previous home, I had hung a large print given to me by my friends from work at my retirement luncheon. It was hanging securely over a screw that was bolted into the wall of our dining room. For Christmas that past year, my daughter and her husband had given us a beautiful and very large framed photo of our two sweet grandchildren, which was still sitting on the floor of our piano room in the basement. I was unsure of where to put it and worried that the flimsy frame would not hold the photo up securely.
One day that winter, as I was walking by the print in the dining room, it suddenly fell off the wall onto the hardwood floor! Surprised, I immediately rehung it onto the screw and forgot about the incident. After all, there was no earthly reason why it would have done that. A day or so later, I was walking past the same area and noticed that the print was once again standing upright on the floor! It appeared as if someone had just taken it down. I could not believe my eyes…I realized that God wanted me to switch out the two pictures, which is exactly what I did…and the gorgeous photo of our precious grandkids remained firmly fixed on that screw until we moved! It never fell off once. I believe God sent an angel to nudge me into exchanging that print because He knew how much I needed to see the kids everyday.
Please remember, the Bible tells us to be hospitable to all strangers, because some of us have entertained angels without knowing it! (Hebrews 13:2). You just never know…