Gemma Galgani was an Italian saint who claimed that she had conversations with her guardian angel. I’m not sure what they talked about, but if she was like many of us the discussion may have been something like, “Where were you?” Some of us question the concept that angels are standing guard over us, usually when something bad happens. If we have a spiritual protector, we ask, where was he when we needed him?
To begin a quick survey of the Bible’s teaching on the subject, I’d like to take you to one teaching moment in the life of Christ. The disciples were concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (You may have noticed that this issue seemed to have been on their minds a lot!) Jesus answered their question by calling a little child and using him as an object lesson. Entrance to the kingdom would be only for those with childlike humility. Receiving a child is the same as receiving Christ. And then He warned the disciples about the danger of “despising” little children because of their angels. “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10) It does seem, doesn’t it, that our Lord is saying that every child has an angel assigned to him or her? Even more, however, is the fact that when in heaven, those angels see the face of God. Angels have access to both heaven and earth, but in heaven, those angels are always near the throne. I would take that to mean that the angels assigned to children are among the most powerful, higher ranking angels. The Lord may assign a PFC angel to hand out judgment on a city, for example, but kids have Four Star General angels watching over them.
The Bible often speaks about angels watching over believers at various times in their lives. For example, when Abraham was concerned about a good wife for Isaac, he told his servant, “The LORD God of heaven … swore to me, saying, 'To your descendants I give this land,' He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.’” (Genesis 24:7) Or when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, God didn’t control the animals Himself. Instead He dispatched an angel to provide the protection Daniel needed. (Daniel 6:22) Or how about the apostles who were in prison and were delivered by an angel who opened the prison doors at night and led them out? (Acts 5:19) Again and again we see that an angel was there to protect God’s people in a time of need.
The Bible also tells us that for believers, angels will be there for us when we die. When Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus, He said that when the beggar died he didn’t simply shoot up to heaven, but was led there by angels. It may have seemed to a bystander that the beggar died alone, but in reality angels were there with him to aid in the transition from competing with dogs for scraps of food to enjoying the glory of the Lord in Paradise. (See Luke 16:22.) It’s also interesting that the rich man did not have an escort to hell, which raises a final observation we can make.
There does seem to be a limit. It’s not Church dogma, but a common Roman Catholic teaching is that a guardian angel is assigned to every person on earth. We don’t see that in the Bible, however. Angels are seen watching over children and caring for the redeemed, but there is no indication that the lost have angels who care for them. In fact, Psalm 34:7 tells us, “The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.” If you need another reason to fear the Lord, you will find it in the help you need every day.
How many times have you experienced “close calls” when you needed help? You may have said, “If I had been in that intersection seconds earlier ….” But you weren’t. “If that bullet had been an inch lower … . “ But it wasn’t. In fact, there are many close calls that you never even know about, but if you fear the Lord an angel was there just the same watching over you.
So where is your guardian angel when bad things do happen, even though you may be a faithful Christian? He’s right there with you. All the biblical examples of deliverance through angels teach us that when the believer does experience illness or pain or persecution he can be sure that it has met the approval of God first, and He’ll use it for good. And when the time comes that your life on this earth is over, you can look forward to an angel who will be there to escort you to glory.
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