| “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” | |
| —Hebrews 1:14 |
Unidentified Flying Objects? Angels! Maybe, to be more precise, we should call them IFOs—Invisible Flying Objects. More than “objects,” God created them a little higher than human beings to live and do the will of our God.
So often, we see people with angel pins on their lapels, or “Guardian Angels” hanging from their rear view mirrors or in some other place of honor. Some people “collect” angels. Some people who sport these representations of angels believe that by displaying these images these “angels” somehow magically will protect them. Because of this false belief, many Christians like me have shied away from considering the truth about these magnificent heavenly beings.
When I started looking, I found many more references to angels in Scripture than I would have ever guessed. For a deeper study of the subject, I would recommend Billy Graham’s book, Angels: God’s Secret Agents.
The Bible speaks of angels who deliver messages from God, like those who proclaimed the message to the Christmas shepherds. It also speaks of those who have come to strengthen weak servants of God, like Elisha. And, Hebrews 13:2 speaks of those angels who shed their invisibility to come in human form when we are unaware of them.
These reports of heavenly beings certainly can comfort us when we need to feel the presence of God in a difficult or desperate situation.
“Ministering spirits” defines the purpose for which God uses angels in the lives of His people. They protect and defend, stir and excite us to duty, and they comfort and encourage.
However, the image I love most comes from Psalm 34:7:
“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
He “pitches his tent” and determines to stay awhile with us! He “occupies” the territory in which we dwell against the enemy. These mighty beings will stay throughout the duration of the battle and see us through it.
God has decreed to send us this kind of personal ministration when we most need it. No, God doesn’t instruct us to pray to angels, or direct them to do our bidding. God does that for us, commanding His own “heavenly hosts”—thousands and thousands of angels to minister to and keep vigilance over His people, as recorded in Revelation 5.
I hope you feel encouraged by knowing these heavenly beings exist. God has them at His own right hand and will dispatch them quickly, powerfully, and lovingly when we need them. Praise Him for His loving and wise care!
