Guardian Angels
Every culture in history has recorded the existence of angels. The earliest printed Bibles contain woodcut illustrations of gigantic angels coming down from Heaven with thunderbolts and huge white horses. I viewed original artwork first-hand during graduate school. The renderings are highly detailed, leaving the impression of the intense determination, power and majesty represented by the angels. The Bridwell Library at SMU holds five hundred Bibles from eight centuries, beginning in 1250. Amazing photos from the manuscripts are included on Bridwell's website.
Angels have been described as attendants to the throne of God, special messengers to mankind and as guardians and protectors. In the Jewish tradition, Michael is the angel of mercy; Gabriel - justice; Raphael - healing; and Uriel - illumination. The angel Gabriel foretold the birth of Jesus to Mary, and in the Muslim faith, Gabriel dictated the Qur'an (Koran) to the prophet Muhammad.
Accounts of angels, especially in the Book of Revelation, are mystifying. John Calvin explained that "Angels are the dispensers and administrators of the divine beneficence toward us. They regard our safety, undertake our defense, direct our ways and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us." [Institutes of Christian Religion].
In the book "Angels, Revised" Billy Graham goes into detail about the characteristics of angels: "Angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation, which we, limited to the natural order, can scarcely comprehend." Graham described nine orders of angels: "angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominations, thrones, cherubim and seraphim." Graham said, "Believers, look up - take courage. The angels are nearer than you think!"
Psalm 91:11 states "For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways." Matthew 28:3 provides a vivid picture of an angel: "His appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow." 2Kings 19:35 and Revelation 9:15 refer to the power and might of the angels.
Angels are depicted as special guides. In Genesis 24:7, Abraham was about 140 years old. He had buried his wife, Sarah, and was thinking about his descendants. Abraham sent a servant to Mesopotamia to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Abraham declared that the Lord would "send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there." The servant met Rebekah in Mesopotamia just as he prayed to God for guidance.
The Koran, Sura 33 v. 43 states, "He it is Who sends His blessings on you, and (so do) His angels, that He may bring you forth out of utter darkness into the light; and He is Merciful to believers."
The Jewish Talmud includes a statement similar to the Bible. "He who has fed a stranger may have fed an angel." Hebrews 13:2 states "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares." This may refer to prominent Old Testament figures Abraham (Ge 18), Gideon (Jdg 6) and Manoah (Jdg 13) who did just that.
There are many interesting depictions of angels. Often they come in dreams. I have always liked the description of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28: "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it."
From this synopsis, angels are known as messengers of God, bringing inspiration, protection and guidance to us in God's timing. Many believe that everyone has a guardian angel. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus was standing with a child and teaching his disciples. He said, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Jesus refers to angels in Matthew 22:30 and Luke 20:36.
We took a photo of an angel, complete with bow and arrow. I was sweeping the patio in MI on the morning of August 10, 2007. Our dog Jordan started barking his "alarm bark" as if someone was standing behind me. Being early in the morning I told the dog to hush because no one was around.
The dog was unrelenting until I looked down and saw the impression of an angel in concrete, which had somehow formed when I tossed a hose aside. There was a curious energy emanating from this water painting. The angel both appeared and vanished quickly. As you can see from my photo, the angel's head is facing Lake Michigan, and it appeared to be busy and in flight. We were blessed to have this momentary encounter, reminding me of Psalm 34:7 --
"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them."
Yes, there are definitely angels among us helping to fulfill God's plan. We don't usually see them, but are mindful of their existence as intermediaries glorifying the Lord and His graciousness to us. Angels appear in times of trial and stress, and in seemingly mundane moments. At that point the "mundane" becomes entirely special!
