Yesterday I had a dangerous fall near a campfire, but amazingly, I was not seriously injured? Why? There is no other explanation other than the Lord protected me!  Not only does the Bible tell us that he protects, delivers, comforts and guides His people—but as His child, I have experienced all of these benefits.

Guardian Angels—Really?

Yes, this is Biblical. Let’s check the facts.

Who Created Angels and Why?

The Bible explains at one time only God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit existed.  However, Colossians 1:16-17 (MEV), states that Jesus, God the Son, created ALL things:

“For by Him [Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Also John 1:1-3 (AMP) gives us more information on creation:

“In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.  He was [continually existing] in the beginning [co-eternally] with God.   All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him not even one thing was made that has come into being.”

Angels throughout the Bible

Angels are messengers of God, sent by God for specific work in heaven and on earth.  Fictional depictions of angels in movies and secular books have minimized and diminished their true existence and extreme importance in our lives. Angels are holy messengers of God, not fictional characters like Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy.

In many biblical stories, invisible angels became visible so humans could see and talk to them.  In most accounts, the angel came with a message from God and his first words were, “Fear not…” which indicates they have a striking formidable appearance.  Or we see the persons hearing/seeing the angel/s take some sort of reverential stance like bowing, which indicates they know they are experiencing a supernatural visitation of God.

What Do Angels Look Like?

The accounts of angelic missions, visitations, and descriptions are too numerous to mention in my short blog.  However, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all describe the removal of the large stone over the tomb of Jesus.  Each gospel sheds light on this story—three accounts by three different writers, so points of views are different, but the story is the same—”JESUS IS NOT HERE, HE HAS RISEN!”

In Mathew 28:2-6 (MEV) we read:

^“And then there was a great earthquake. For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his garments white as snow.  The soldiers shook for fear of him and became like dead men.”

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid. For I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For He has risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay…”

It is interesting that the angel neither spoke to nor told the guards not to fear him.  The guards had reason to fear not only because of the shocking, supernatural appearance of the angel, but most of all—-they were unholy, degenerate men. The angel only spoke comforting words to the broken-hearted women of God.

Luke 24:4-6 does not mention the guards.  It says the women arrived, saw the empty tomb and were upset that Jesus’s body was gone.  Next, this happened:

“While they were greatly perplexed concerning this, suddenly two men stood by them in shining garments.  As they were afraid and bowed their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen!”

Mark 16:5-8 states, when the women entered the tomb:

“…they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white robe.  And they were frightened.  He said to them, “Do not be frightened. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, as He told you.”  They went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”

Angelic Visitations

We are not to seek angelic visitations.  We are to pray to God!  If God choses to give us an angelic visitation, so be it, but we are NOT to seek these experiences.  As a child I had an angelic visitation, and it scared the wits out of me. It is something I never wanted to experience again.

I now realize, my own conversation regarding angels needs to be more thoughtful and serious.  Angels spend time in the presence our holy God.  As an adult, even I have joked about my guardian angel.  However, after researching this article, I feel quite somber.  Think of it—Almighty God dispatches majestic beings to watch over and protect us from satanic plots to harm us!

Divine Protection – My Story

I thank God for protecting me and all those I love.  I can think of numerous cases where God shielded us from harm.

Years ago, my father, John R. Chappell, III, was protected in an unusual serious auto incident (with a car full of family and friends.)  Dad was driving his station wagon to a church event several hours from home when he suddenly had to veer off the road to avoid a serious collision.  Dad was travelling at least 55 miles per hour on a rural highway.  He veered off the right side of the road (the only possible choice to avoid a collision) and found himself jerking the steering wheel to the right, then to the left, then to the left, then to the right with the precision of a professional race car driver to avoid tree after tree.  The car careened from side to side and was on two wheels part of the time. What seemed like minutes was probably only seconds, but amazingly he avoided every tree!!!  What a miracle!

Then later, in the late 1980’s, Dad was jogging on his daily prayer route down the streets of Los Angeles where he lived, when God foiled a robbery.  However, I must note, this robbery was prevented  because my dad was a man of prayer and overflowed with God’s Holy Spirit.  My father was 6 feet, 2 inches tall, but was very thin due to an intense life of fasting and an overactive thyroid.  He probably looked like easy bait to the young, male street thug.  Nonetheless, Daddy lived “in the secret place of the most High” as mentioned in Psalms 91.  When the mugger demanded money with the intent of harm, suddenly the Holy Spirit came mightily upon my father.  He pointed at the mugger and commanded, “I arrest you in the name of Jesus!”  The man froze and was struck with terror as God literally “arrested” him.  It was as if the thief’s shoes were glued to the asphalt—he could not move until God released him.  Then suddenly he was freed.  He dashed away as fast as he could.  Dad never saw him again. This was a fantastic testimony that my dad related to me and many others.

John R. Chappell, III and Pattie Chappell

As a missionary to the Philippines, my mother, Pattie Chappell, was saved from a murderous plot of evil men as she walked on a remote path while travelling to a village to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When I was 9 years old, the Lord kept me safe during a treacherous typhoon when the house I was in blew apart.  I was also protected in several automobile incidents/some that did not turn into accidents, numerous falls, and from death in a house that filled with poisonous gas while my husband, newborn baby, David, and I slept.  God woke me up—and our little family was saved.

Most of all, I know God has protected my family, my children and me in cases where we have had no idea what he protected us from!  God’s holy angels are invisible and silent, so we  have no idea how many times we have been protected!  In addition, if you are a parent, we must pray a hedge of protection around our children, as we have no idea how Satan might try to harm them or what temptations may come their way.

The Many BENEFITS of CHOOSING to Serve God

I want to provide you with exact quotations from God’s Word, the Holy Bible, so you can read God’s truths with your own eyes.  (For further reading, the entire Bible is online at www.biblegateway.com.)

Psalms 103 gives us a huge list of many blessings we inherit as children of God!  Below a few are listed!

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits,

who forgives all your iniquities,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

who satisfies your mouth with good things,

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The Lord does righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.”

Psalms 103:2-6 (MEV)

Who has the Protection of Guardian Angels?

God’s Word explains that CHILDREN and those who live in God’s presence and revere him have angels watching over them.

Psalms 91:1 (KJV) begins, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  Wow!  I want to live in that shadow!  Later in this chapter, God explains WHY He protects his people:

“Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

even the Most High, your dwelling,

there shall be no evil befall you,

neither shall any plague come near your tent;

for He shall give His angels charge over you

to guard you in all your ways.

They shall bear you up in their hands,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and adder;

the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

and I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

Psalm 91:9-16 (MEV)

Children Have Angels Watching Over Them!

In Matthew 18, the disciples asked Jesus:

“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, and said,

“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one such little child in My name receives Me.  But whoever misleads one of these little ones who believe in Me, it would be better for him to have a millstone hung about his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. See 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 18:1-6, 10, MEV)

God Will Deliver You!

PSALMS 34:1-19 (MEV) sums it all up:

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth.

My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and became radiant, and their faces are not ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints; for the ones who fear Him will not be in need.

The young lions are in want and suffer hunger,but the ones who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.

Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Who is the man who desires life, and loves a long life in order to see good?

Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

The face of the Lord is against the ones doing evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the broken-hearted, and saves the contrite of spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Guard Your Mind from False Teachers

Remember to guard your mind and heart from the many strange voices in this world. There are many strange, unbiblical ideas on the internet about spirituality including  guardian angels.  If you believe in God, the safest thing you can do is stick to God’s Word and study deeply.  However, if you want a book to help you learn more about angels, the only one that I can recommend at this time, is Billy Graham’s book, Angels, God’s Secret Agents.  This book was first printed in 1975, then revised and expanded in 1986.  There is a newer version published in 1994; however, I have not read it.  The benefit is that it is available via Audible audio version.  Click here to hear the short Audible clip on Amazon.

Angels, God’s Secret Agents – Written by Billy Graham

In this book, Rev. Graham states, “If you believe the Bible, you will believe in their [angelic] ministry.  They crisscross the Old and New Testaments, being mentioned directly or indirectly nearly 300 times.”

An excerpt of his book is below.  Rev. Grahm states the following:

“If the activities of the devil and his demons seem to be intensifying in these days, as I believe they are, should not the incredibly greater supernatural powers of God’s holy angels be even more indelibly impressed on the minds of people of faith? Certainly, the eye of faith sees many evidences of the supernatural display of God’s power and glory.  God is still in business too.

Christians must never fail to sense the operation of angelic glory.  It forever eclipses the world of demonic powers, as the sun does the candle’s light.

If you are a believer, expect powerful angels to accompany you in your life experiences. And let those events dramatically illustrate the friendly presence of “the holy ones” as Daniel calls them.

Angles speak.  They appear and reappear. They are emotional creatures. While angels may become visible by choice, our eyes are not constructed to see them ordinarily any more than we can see the dimensions of a nuclear field, the structure of atoms, or the electricity that flows through copper wiring.  Our ability to sense reality is limited: The deer of the forest far surpass our human capacity in their keenness of smell. Bats possess a phenomenally sensitive built-in radar system.  Some animals can see things in the dark that escape our attention.  Swallows and geese possess sophisticated guidance systems that appear to border on the supernatural.  So why should we think it strange if men fail to perceive the evidences of angelic presence?  Could it be that God granted Balaam and his ass a new optical capacity to view the angel? (See Numbers 22:23, 31)

Reports continually flow to my attention from many places around the world telling of visitors of the angelic order appearing, ministering, fellowshipping, and disappearing. They warn of God’s impending judgment; they spell out the tenderness of His love; they meet a desperate need; then they are gone.  Of one thing we can be sure: angels never draw attention to themselves but ascribe glory to God and press His message upon the hearers as a delivering and sustaining word of the highest order. Demonic activity and Satan worship are on the increase in all parts of the world.  The devil is alive and more at work that at any other time.  The Bible says that since he realizes his time is short, his activity will increase.  Through his demonic influences, he does succeed in turning many away from true faith; but we can still say that his evil activities are countered for the people of God by His ministering spirits, the holy ones of the angelic order. They are vigorous in delivering the heirs of salvation from the stratagems of evil men. They cannot fail.

Believers, look up—take courage.  The angels are nearer than you think.  After all (as we have already noted), God has given “his angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12 RSV)

© Margaret R. Wilder, 2018, All Rights Reserved