Angels
No doubt you may being wondering what I’m up to writing my blog today about angels? I woke this morning with an interest to read and journal through the Gospel of Mark. I didn’t get far into it (Mark 1:13) when I read that angels ministered to Jesus after He had been tempted in the wilderness, and He had stood the tests. I also noted in Luke 22:43 that angels ministered to Jesus during His agony at the Mount of Olives, and right before He was taken to the next steps that would lead to His cross. Then there is the mysterious reference in Revelations where Apostle John was told to write a letter to the seven angels of the seven churches. This is where we need to understand that an “angel” is defined as a messenger from God and there can be heavenly angels, such as those angels mention at Jesus’ birth, and those I’ve referenced in Mark and Luke. However there are also human messengers from God (angels), who are given messages from God that must be shared. Most scholars agree that the angels that John was told to write to in Revelations, were the pastors of those churches. They were not heavenly beings, but they were messengers none the less. I was intrigued, and the next verse really captured my attention this morning concerning angels. Perhaps it will intrigue you as well:
“Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2 NLT)
When I read this passage, I was in that special place with the Lord where I feel His presence and I asked Him, “Have I ever had angels cross my path?” The answer was yes, for I have had many messengers from God who have been used to minister and encourage me, as angels do. The fact that I have identified them as human beings in the past or present doesn’t lessen the message and voice of God that was spoken to me through them. So let’s be aware that the messenger God sends to us is not as important as the message. How God has chosen to deliver His messages has been His prerogative from the start, and I’m thankful that He has always been the initiator in getting His messages to me. But there is that other question. Has He has dispatched an angelic messenger to me, and I didn’t realize it at the time?
In my younger days, I lived dangerously. I was likely an adrenalin junkie and thrill seeker. My mother thought of me as a daredevil, and it kept her on her knees asking for my protection. There were times that I could have been killed or seriously injured, for I didn’t see the danger only the challenge. Because of this there were many times that there would be something that is hard for me to explain that would intervene and keep me safe. Perhaps it was that angels were with me, protecting me?
It was in my state of meditation this morning that I began to ask myself if I would really want to see an angel, and hear his message. Could I handle it? Many courageous people before me were deeply frightened when an angel appeared before them, and the first thing they needed to hear from an angel was, “Do not be afraid.” I’d likely quake in my boots, as well most of you as well. If I could get over that initial shock, would seeing an angel help my faith, or my perspective, or to know God’s messages to me more clearly? I think it would definitely help all of our perspectives to deeply realize that there is a hidden spiritual world going on around us that most of us do not recognize. But could we distinguish the good angels from the bad angels, for after all Satan and his crew are all fallen angels? Our Lord Jesus would never dispatch a bad angel with a wrong message. But there are those other bad guys out there, and perhaps that is why most of the time we do not see either types of angels? We simply might not be able to distinguish between the good and the bad, and that is why it is a rare occasion even in Bible history that an angel has been allowed to show up. So what should be our perspective concerning angels?
If God does allow an angelic messenger to suddenly show up in our life with a Divine message, then we should greet him joyfully, and without fear. However, until it does miraculously happen, I think we need to be content with listening to the human messagers of God that He sends our way, for after all they are angels as well.
Final thought: Have you ever thought that you can be an “angel” to someone? When we point someone toward Jesus … when we lift someone up and encourage them to continue to run their race for the Lord … when we feed someone from God’s word and we encourage them to overcome the temptations that are coming at them … when we simply reach out and help someone in their need, then we too can become messengers from God. We are to this kind of angel to our world around us and as has always been the case, when an angel shows up, people will listen. Be God's angel to someone today.