Angels
Lisa Cooke

When the Lord spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai, one of the things He said to him was “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries (Ex 23:20-22).”

Many biblical references enlighten us to the fact of angelic activity here on the earth at the command of God on behalf of His people. Hebrews 1:14 asks the question, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Angels serve the Lord’s purposes with His will as their guide and focus. They are sent to help us fulfill the will of God in our lives, going before us and guarding us in all our ways (Ps 91:11).

Both Peter and Paul have their experiences with angels recorded in Scripture. We have the story of Peter being let out of prison by an angel in Acts 12:6-11. In Acts 27:23-25 Paul tells the men on the ship sailing to Rome that an angel appeared to him to encourage him that no one would be lost in the storm. Both men actually saw the angel that the Lord sent to help them in their situations. We may never see an angel in operation, but we know they exist because of narratives like these as well as others scattered throughout the Bible.

It is so helpful to remind ourselves of the vital function of angels in our personal lives as we travel through our time here on earth. While we know we are not to worship angels (Rev 22:8-9) we need to rightly understand their place in the overall plan of God. Psalm 103:20 provides insight into angelic protocol as it pertains to how their involvement is activated.

Bless the Lord, O you His angels, you mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His word.

Angels respond to the voice of God’s word, as He speaks it forth and also as we speak the written word of God. Angels are assigned to help bring about the fulfillment of God’s word for our good and for God’s glory. Is it possible that angels are waiting on you to speak the word of God over situations that you are currently in the midst of so they can proceed with the execution and implementation of God’s will for your life? With this in mind, we can see how critical it is to receive a word from the Lord that has an anointing or unction on it, and then to speak it out over our circumstances in faith.

It also helps to be reminded of the strength of the angels of God. In 2 Kings 19:35 the angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. Psalm 35:1, 5-6 says:

Contend, O Lord with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away. Let their way be dark and slippery with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.

Reading the book of Revelation will give one a grand picture of the workings of angels as they serve the glorious intentions of God. We get such a sense of their importance and power in these scriptures that it encourages us to take full advantage of their aid and support.

Do not neglect to give angels their proper (and balanced!) place for they are created beings assigned to assist us as we pursue all that God has for us. Jesus said in Matthew 18:10 about children that “in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” By this we understand we have had angelic accompaniment from the beginning of our lives and we do well to stay mindful of their presence. I encourage you to allow them to be the servants of God in your life that they were intended to be!