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Let's Be Thankful for Angels
That new face you greet next Sunday could be one of the cherubim or seraphim . . . one of Michael's colleagues or one of Gabriel's teammates.
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Angels look and sound like one of us, but they are not human. They
exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven, and they are frequently
dispatched to earth in human form to bring encouragement, assistance, and
protection.
by Pastor Chuck Swindoll
My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is upon
us.
As I've said for years, it's Thanksgiving,
not Thankskeeping.
So, let's go there. Now is the best time of
year to give thanks . . . to count our blessings.
Have you counted your blessings lately? If
not, allow me to prime the pump.
Start with broad categories, such as family
members, close friends, and fellow Christians who help take the sting out of
life.
Tell the Lord how thankful you are for each
person, naming them one by one.
Next, think of significant places you often
find yourself: home, church, school, car, service stations, stores,
restaurants, fitness center . . . you complete the list.
Express your gratitude for each.
Don't forget to give thanks for your
health, your eyesight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. How easy it is to take
these sensory gifts for granted.
Of course, there's clothing to keep you
warm, sufficient food to nourish your body, a job that pays the bills, good
books that stimulate your mind, laughter and tears, many comforts undeserved,
dreams that keep you going, and memories that bring delight.
We dare not forget the Bible and those who
teach it, music and those who sing it and play it, worship with others of the
faith, and a few moments of leisure during each week that enable us to release
our anxieties and gain fresh perspective.
There is one more blessing that can easily
be overlooked — one you may not have considered.
I feel especially grateful for those unseen
guardians who work overtime, who actually never slumber or sleep. That's right;
I'm talking about the angels, God's special messengers.
Think of all the accidents they have
prevented, all the little kids they have protected, all the enemy assaults they
have shielded us against.
Motorcycle riders keep a host of angels on
their toes!
So do bungee jumpers, sky divers, stunt
people, window washers, single-engine pilots, fast drivers, and rock climbers.
Preachers are probably in there somewhere
as well.
Scripture speaks very clearly of angels.
As the thirteenth
chapter of Hebrews opens, we encounter a series of commands, among them: "Do not neglect to show hospitality to
strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it"
(Hebrews
13:2).
If we took that verse seriously, we could
revolutionize a church's friendliness.
Think of it this way: that new face you
greet next Sunday could be one of the cherubim or seraphim . . . one of
Michael's colleagues or one of Gabriel's teammates.
Angels look and sound like one of us, but
they are not human. They exist as supernatural creatures in and about heaven,
and they are frequently dispatched to earth in human form to bring
encouragement, assistance, and protection.
If you have ever encountered the sudden
appearance and/or departure of an angel after receiving one's help, you are
never the same.
Often they leave telltale signs that they
are not of this earth. That always puts a chill down my back.
What began as a fun trip and relaxing time
together led to a frightening experience.
Up at that elevation the temperature can
drop rapidly, covering everything in a blanket of snow and ice in no time . . .
and that's exactly what happened.
The ranges of white peaks and slopes became
beautiful scenes to behold.
While taking in the breathtaking sights,
the leader realized he had lost the trail.
The heavy snowfall had completely covered
the path, and he didn't have a clue where they were or how they could get back
to the main camp.
His fears weren't helped by the realization
that sundown was not that far away, and they were not equipped to spend the
night on the craggy, windswept slopes where the temperature would soon drop
into the teens.
The boys in the group became aware of their
plight, which only intensified the leader's worries. In situations like that
out in the wilderness, prayer flows freely.
A dependence on God to rescue is not merely
a convenient option; it's a foundational survival technique. As with men in
foxholes, you rarely find atheists among lost mountain climbers.
While trudging
through the snow, entertaining thoughts just this side of panic, they suddenly
heard someone on the slopes above them yell down: "Hey — the trail is up here!"
They realized if they had continued in the
direction they were going, they would have become hopelessly lost.
Without hesitation, they made their way up
to the large boulder where the stranger was sitting.
The climb was exhausting, but their relief
in finding someone who knew the way gave them an adrenaline rush.
Finally, they arrived . . . but to their
surprise, the one who had yelled at them was nowhere to be found.
Furthermore, there were no traces left in
the snow that anyone had been sitting on the boulder, nor were there footprints
nearby.
The trail, however, stretched out before
them and led them to safety.
The boys not only learned a valuable lesson
about the wilderness but also confirmed their belief in encountering "angels without knowing it."
Think of several occasions in your own life
over this year when you had what you would consider "a close call."
God's special messengers, dispatched from
His heaven, are often invisible but never impotent. As the psalmist wrote:
“He will give His angels charge concerning you, To
guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do
not strike your foot against a stone.” - (Psalm 91:11–12)
And then, writing of an individual who
loves the Lord, he added:
"Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver
him; I will set him securely on high. . . . I will be with him in trouble; I
will rescue him." (Psalm
91:14–15)
A fascinating topic of conversation around
your Thanksgiving table would be stories of how and when some surprising
deliverance, some heaven-sent rescue mission, occurred.
This holiday season, take time. As we eat
our meals and offer our thanks for God's blessings, let's add one more category
to our list.
Let's be thankful for angels. Doing so will strengthen our faith . . . and we could all benefit from a boost in that area, couldn't we?
Pastor Chuck
Swindoll
has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of
God’s Word. Since 1998, he has served as the senior pastor-teacher of
Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience
extends beyond a local church body. As a leading program in Christian
broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s
leadership as president and now chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary has
helped prepare and equip a new generation for ministry.
https://insight.org/resources/article-library/individual/let's-be-thankful-for-angels
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https://puricarechronicles.blogspot.com/2017/12/i-hear-angels-i-hear-angels-singing.html
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