It's been really exciting for us (me and Chrissi) to be learning about angels recently. Most people probably don't believe in them but we do and the Bible does have quite a bit to say about them. It says they're spiritual beings created by God and they obey and worship God (e.g. Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 5:11-12), bring God's messages to people (e.g. Matthew 28:5-6, Luke 1:11-19, Acts 8:26) and carry out some of God's plans in the world.So do I seriously believe in angels? Aren't they just made up creatures like gnomes and fairies? I'm convinced they're real and that what the Bible says is true when it talks about them. Human beings are both physical and spiritual beings and there is a whole spiritual reality going on that we don't (often) see with our physical eyes (Ephesians 6:12).
A while ago when I worked in a school, there was an event one evening in the area where people came together to worship God. Christians from loads of local churches were there, including one of the lads from the school. The next day in school the lad said he'd seen angels at the event. He said they were hovering over all the people and they were handing out swords to the people as they prayed to equip them with God's power for the struggles they were facing in their lives. He said that he only saw them when he closed his eyes. At first when I heard this, I thought, 'That's nice. What a lovely idea. But it's probably just in his head.' But then he said that later on in the same meeting, the leader at the front said that he also saw angels handing out swords to people as they prayed. Coincidence? Maybe but I'm sure it was that God was giving people glimpses of what his angels were doing and the spiritual reality that was taking place behind the scenes of the physical reality. Brilliant!
Recently, Chrissi has seen a few angels too. Only because she's asked God if he would show them to her and he has (I've asked and he hasn't). It's not been the focus of our lives (that's hopefully Jesus and we'll try and keep living for him whatever angels we may or may not see) but it's been a real encouragement in certain situations for God to show us what his angels are doing. At Belmont (our church) one Sunday, his angels were handing out swords and some people took them and others didn't. It was an interesting picture of how we as a crowd are a mixed bag of those who are taking God's power out into our everyday lives and those who are leaving it behind! A real challenge to all of us. On another occasion Chrissi saw an angel cuddling someone we knew who was really struggling and bringing God's comfort to them.
I wonder what you make of all this. Maybe you don't believe in God, let alone angels and stuff like that. I would challenge you to consider that there is a spiritual reality at work in our lives. It's something well worth looking into.
And maybe you already believe in angels (if you're a Christian, you probably do) but you've forgotten about them! They're still around and very busy worshipping God and carrying out his plans with us in the world. We don't often see them but they're still there and we can worship God with them and be helped by them. Let's be grateful to God and thank him for all he's doing and for all he sends his angels to do.
And if you think it's all a bit weird, confusing or a load of rubbish, let me know. It would be great to hear from you.
