The One Where God Sends Angels

Did you know that as soon as you accept Jesus as your savior, God has a host of angels ready for you? Angels are servants God has available who worship Him, serve Him, and follow His commands.

Psalms 103:20-21 "Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!"

Psalm 34:6-7 "In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him."

Luke 15:10 "In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."

Ponder that a moment. Angels rejoice with God when you accept Jesus as your Savior. Joy overflows and the heavens all rejoice together for you. Just stop and imagine that with me a moment. The entire heavens cheering for YOU. And they keep on cheering for you during your journey on earth. Encouraging, protecting, and guiding you right to the finish line. God's love and forgiveness are WAY bigger than what you think is your biggest sin, all you have to do is trust in Him.

"Angels are only servants - spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation." (Hebrews 1:14)

How cool is that! God has an army of angels ready to do anything He commands of them. When I say He has an army of them, I mean a HUGE army.

Rev 5:11 "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."

My tiny brain cannot even comprehend how many angels God has, but clearly He has a lot of them ready, willing, and created to do His will and carry out His commands. He even sent them to help Jesus when he was sent to earth to be our living and breathing example of how to live and to ultimately become the greatest sacrifice ever on our behalf.

Before Jesus was crucified, he went to the Mount of Olives to pray. He asked God to "take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Luke 22:42)

Jesus was sent to earth in human form, felt all the emotions and feelings we feel, yet did not once give in to temptation or fall for the devil's lies. He was faultless. He was sent to earth for a purpose and a plan. He needed to die on the cross so that we can all be saved from ourselves. From our sins. From our shortfalls and imperfections. Jesus dying on the cross allows you to be freed from the chains of sin as well as the consequences and burdens of sin produces. He took everything to the cross with Him giving us eternal salvation and cleansing us from our sins "white as snow." (Isaiah 1:18) He doesn't just throw a towel over our sins to cover them up, he gets the bleach out and saturates us with the Holy Spirit and completely wipes them out. We are forgiven fully - no residue left behind - completely cleaned white as snow.

He gave us forgiveness and freedom. He was human, innocent and pure, and was about to be tortured and crucified on the cross. He knew what was coming. He needed strength to get through those next steps in God's plan. Jesus prayed for God's "will to be done, not mine." God's will needed to be done so we can all be saved and have eternal life with God. Still, it wasn't easy for Him to do. It was about to get very painful and difficult for Jesus. A storm was coming. God knew that. God sent an angel - a servant of God - to Jesus to help him through the storm. He sent an angel to give him the strength Jesus desperately needed to get through those next steps.

Luke 22:43-44 "And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Did you know your body can actually become so stressed that you sweat blood? I didn't realize this. It can happen in your fight or flight response. It can happen in a response to extreme fear, stress, distress that would be associated with facing death, torture, or severe ongoing abuse. It has been proven to be true by those smarty pants scientists out there who research, study and know these kinds of things. Jesus was so stressed He was quite literally sweating blood. God knew he needed strength and encouragement so he sent an angel to help him through it.

Jesus prayed with all His heart - fervently - so hard and passionately that He was sweating blood. God saw. God sent help. Prayer resulted in a response from God. It maybe wasn't the answer Jesus was hoping for, but it was the answer that needed to happen for the grand plan and purpose - for the entire world. God sent help, strength, and reassurance that everything will ultimately be ok...it will even be much better than it was before...after we get through this - just hold on. We'll get through it together.

Matthew 26:53 "Don't you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?"

Jesus knew there were a vast host of angels available at His Father's command but also knew that wasn't what needed to happen. Thank you soooo much for that "no", God. Sometimes we don't understand or are so caught up in a situation and all the emotions we are going through in the middle of it all, that it's easy to forget that if God has a "no" for us or maybe even a "not yet" - it might just be because He sees the bigger picture and knows what is best for us for all eternity.

Jesus, God's Son, "radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave him is greater than their names." (Hebrews 1:3-4)

Angels were created to worship God, carry out God's will, bring messages of good news and comfort, and provide and protect God's people.

Throughout the Bible, there are stories of God intervening and sending angels to the rescue.

"And when God brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, 'Let all of God's angels worship him.' Regarding the angels, he says, 'He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames of fire.'" (Hebrews 1:6-7)

Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. God sent an angel to protect him. (Daniel 6:1-28)

Daniel 6:22 "My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight."

Peter was thrown into prison for being a believer in Jesus and the church was praying for him "earnestly". God sent an angel into the cell who woke him up and busted him out of jail. Peter actually thought he was dreaming and it wasn't really happening until he realized he truly was outside. (Acts 12:1-19)

When the Israelites were on their way to the promised land, God promised to and did send an angel to lead, guard and protect them. (Exodus 23:20-33) God never lets you down and will always fulfill what He promises.

Exodus 23:20 "See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you"

Angels haven't suddenly vanished, they are still being used by God today.

Hebrews 13:2-3 "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies."

Jesus came to earth and experienced all the things we experience. He gave us a true example of kindness, unconditional love and acceptance. He faced challenges and cried out to God. He showed true empathy for others. He cared for everyone regardless of who they were or their past. He still cares for and loves each and every one of us today, regardless of our past mistakes. He gave us the purest example of how to treat people around us.

Matt 18:10 "Beware that you don't look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father."

I tend to imagine the angels God sends to help me out through life shake their heads in dismay and say something to the effect of - "Please no, her? Anyone but her, she's a mess!" I laugh when I think about this. I know they likely don't talk back to God since they are created to follow God's commands but wow, they certainly have their hands full with me! Anyone who knows me personally knows this is true. Thank you so much God, for always having me in your hands and helping me through life. I for sure need God's help every single day.

We will have struggles and storms in life. It's a given. A guarantee. Life is hard. I'd rather face those struggles with Jesus on my team and God having a host of angels ready to help me through all the storms of life at His single command. Trying to get through on my own just isn't an option. I've tried it in the past and it's not pretty. Having God at the center of your team is the only way to go through anything in life. We basically have two choices. Paddle your canoe through the rapids on your own...

...or with God as your captain. He knows how to keep the canoe steady through the rapids. I don't know about you, but I'd prefer my canoe to be steady.

Psalm 91:11 "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. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation."