ANGELS AMONG US

“For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” – Psalm 91:11-12

Our culture is also fascinated with angels. Look at all the movies about angels – In the Arms of Angels, City of Angels, and Angels in the Outfield to name just a few.  And who doesn’t want a guardian angel like Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life to give us some perspective?  Back in the mid-1990s, there was a popular TV series called “Touched by an Angel.” The show’s premise followed three angels as they quietly showed up at those big, crossroads moments in people’s lives. Only, it wasn’t until the end of each episode that the angels revealed their true nature. There was just something about feeling that you weren’t alone in those dark, trying times that kept viewers glued to their TVs.

Why did God create the angels? The Bible says He created them to be His servants and carry out His will. We cannot imagine what this must involve, but every time we are introduced to them in the Bible, they are doing something God told them to do. They have a special responsibility to watch over God’s people; the Bible says that God “…will order his angels to protect you wherever you go” (Psalm 91:11). The Bible is filled with over several hundred references to angels. From Genesis where angels are guarding the Garden of Eden to Revelation where angels are around the throne worshiping God.

There are thousands upon thousands of angels. “Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders”  (Revelation 5:11). Jesus refers to the vast number of angels He could have called on at his arrest. “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:53).

We are not to worship angels. John fell at the feet of an angel and was told, in Revelation 22:9: “… No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!” They do not want you to take your eyes off Jesus who is the only one worthy of your worship.

Although we don’t know everything there is to know about angels, we know they are real and that they are a part of God’s strategy to help his people through the invisible-yet-ever-present spiritual battleground of life.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between the way angels are portrayed in the Bible and the way they are portrayed in art?
2.  What would you say is the job description of angels?
3. How can angels help us?