“Angels Watching Over Me”
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. Psalm 91:11
Watching my son receive his high school diploma was more emotional than I had anticipated. Four days before his graduation he had lost control of the car as he was driving to a classmate’s party. The car had been totaled, but he and his two friends had walked away from the accident with minor cuts and bruises.
I’ve never doubted the existence of angels, and I’m convinced that they preserved the lives of those three teenagers that night. The car flipped once in the air and once on the ground before it rolled to a stop in someone’s front yard. It could have slammed into a tree, plunged down an embankment, or collided with oncoming traffic. By God’s grace, my son was sitting beside me in church the next day instead of lying in an intensive care unit or a morgue.
The writer of Hebrews told his readers, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”(1:14). The Greek word translated “serve” in this verse is diakonia, which specifically refers to carrying out the commands of others.* In other words, God sends His angels to ensure that His plans and purposes for us are accomplished. Therefore, nothing will ever happen to us or to those we love that will take God by surprise.
Thomas Fuller, author of Church History of Britain, observed, “God’s children are immortal while their Father has anything for them to do on earth.”** My son and his friends celebrated their high school graduation because God’s purposes for their lives haven’t been fulfilled yet. You and I are also alive today because our work for God is not yet completed.
What is He asking you to do today?
DIG DEEPER:
The Bible is filled with accounts of angelic intervention. Read one or more of the following chapters: Genesis 19, Genesis 24, 2 Kings 6, Daniel 6, and Acts 12. Why do you think God sent angels to perform these tasks?
The devil quoted Psalm 91:11 in Matthew 4:6. What did he want Jesus to do? Why didn’t Jesus do it? What does that indicate about the protection God promises us?
In 1 Timothy, written near the end of Paul’s life, he wrote about his ministry, his diakonia. Read 1 Timothy 1:12-14. What was Paul’s attitude? What is your attitude about the work God has given you to do?
One of my favorite Amy Grant songs is “Angels Watching over Me.” To listen to it, go to “Angels Watching Over Me”
Denise K. Loock
Note: In the photo, my son Jeff is wearing the graduation cap. The young man to Jeff’s immediate left and the young man on the far left were also in the accident.