If Only….
March 29, 2015A New Legacy
May 15, 2015Concerning YOU
Psalm 91:11-12
For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
We live on a farm with a little piece of wilderness where we’ve carved out hiking trails over the years. We like to take our dogs for long walks there. We don’t call them “walks,” though— we call them “adventures.” Where will our adventure take us today? What will we see? Maybe deer, fox or turkey… maybe a wild patch of daffodils or a picturesque bend in the creek… What obstacles will we find in our way? Will a tree be down in our path? Will the creek be too high to cross? We may know the paths, but while we know the way, we never really know what will be in our way. Anyone who enjoys hiking “off the beaten path” knows that you never know what might be encountered. Sometimes even on paths you know well, over time a stone or a tree root may work its way through the path. If you’re not paying attention— Whoops! You stumble…. It is a delicate balance between watching the path itself and looking up to take in the beauty around.
This happens in our faith walk too. In the great journey we are on with the Lord, we may know “the path” but we do not know what will be in the path as we go. Remember the Lord is with you! When we focus on Him it will not matter what roots, stones, fallen trees or rising creeks we come across— for we are guarded in all our ways by Him and his angels. It is that guardianship that allows us to walk in confidence— Confidence in the Lord’s provision and protection. Napoleon Hill once said- If you can see the obstacles you have taken your eyes off the goal. How true this is in our adventures with the Lord. Keep your eyes on the goal- being with Jesus– while keeping your feet moving along the narrow path. If you are earnestly running toward Jesus, you may stumble- but He and his angels will not let you fall. Psalm 121:3 specifically says- “He will not let your foot slip- He who watches you will not slumber…” and Proverbs 4:12 says- When you walk your steps will not be hampered….
When Gracie was in Sunday-school once the teacher asked: “What is an angel?” She blurted out: “An angel is a servant of the LORD!” That’s Biblical! And so is the notion of each believer having a guardian angel. The Bible says that angels are all “ministering spirits sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:14) and that “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7) Our guardian angels are not timid little child-like creatures with chubby cheeks. No, the Bible describes every angel as a fierce warrior! Angels are referred to in “legions” a specifically military term. God is the God of Angel Armies, just exactly as the Chris Tomlin song praises.
I am convinced that God’s angels are on the move, constantly in service to Him protecting us in a real spiritual battle that we cannot always see in the temporal realm. But we can feel it. We can catch glimpses of it. I know I’ve had many an angel encounter in my life. I was confirmed of God’s angels again recently. One of the phrases that we say often in our house is: “God is good! All the time! All the time, God is good!” A friend and I have been doing a study on angels. I told her that when Gracie was a baby she used to babble baby talk ALL the time and Doug would ask her: “Are you talking to your angel?” WITHOUT fail she would audibly say: “TOBIAS!” It was so uncanny that we are utterly convinced “Tobias” is the name of Gracie’s personal guardian angel. I thought out loud to my friend: “I should look up what that name means!” She encouraged me to do it, and let her know what I found out. Later that evening I went on-line and looked up: “The meaning of the name: Tobias.” In writing clear as day I saw these words: Tobias means: “God is good.”
If you don’t buy this “angels watching over me” idea I’d suggest this: Look back over your “walk” with the purpose of finding times when you should have struck your foot against a stone… and didn’t. Maybe you thought of them as coincidences… but maybe it was angels.
I contend this: There are no coincidences— only God-incidences. Are you picking and choosing which of God’s promises you will believe? Or would you believe them all? “And He will command His angels concerning YOU.”
MORE on the real “Angels and Demons” to come!
And if you have an angel story- feel free to share!