Acts; Our Own Angels?

Aug. 23

Read: Acts 12

Acts;

Our Own Angels?

“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands…” (v. 7)

Angels are an interesting topic for the people of God. For post-enlightenment / “western” Christians, the idea of angels gets a good bit of “lip service” but I am afraid that we don’t truly believe they are active in our midst. The idea of the spiritual realm and the material realm overlapping seems “far off” and fantastical. It only takes reading through the New Testament once before you realize that Angels are quite active and “real” amongst the people of God. Peter’s prison rescue is a popular bible story with an angel at the center of it. I wanted to mention a couple things that we may overlook when we read about this great escape:

1.) "So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.” (v.5)

Prayer and the work of angels commanded by God go hand in hand in the scriptures. God hears the prayers of his people and responds - sometimes by sending an angel or by giving a person the ability to see the angel(s) that were there all along. We see this played out here as well as when Daniel prays and an angel comes to him or when Elisha prays and the eyes of his servant are opened. (cf. Daniel 10, 2 Kings 6:17-20) The presence of God’s helpers never replaces the importance or centrality of prayer. Fervent prayer by the people of God to God Most High has a cosmic impact!

2.) “And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”  (v.7,8)

The angels of the Lord intersect with the material world. They have a “body” of some sort… that can do “real things” in what we think is the “real world”. They can speak, open doors, and cause chains to fall off! God’s messengers can and do make an impact in our realm. They indeed can be seen and heard. Likewise, we may not always recognize that they are actually and angel: “…for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Heb. 13:2) In a similar fashion, as Peter was being rescued - he tried to make sense of it by presuming it was a dream when it was actually reality. We may not always recognize or grasp the in-breaking of the Spiritual Realm of God. The bigger idea at work here is to recognize that the spiritual and the material have an interplay… they impact one another… they overlap… they are connected! These angels can offer real physical help when it is needed and the Lord calls them to!

3.) “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” (v.11)

Angels as God-sent rescuers is a common theme in the scriptures. It would seem as though the Lord often chooses to use these heavenly messengers to bring protection or safety fro calamity. Here are a few other passages to consider:

“Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him…” - Dan. 3:28

“My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” - Dan. 6:22

“He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” - 2 Kings 6:16,17

In times of extreme peril or need… when things seem their WORST… the Lord never abandons his people. God’s angels - our spiritual-realm brothers and sisters - are sent to protect, rescue, and give confidence to the people of God in the most desperate times.

4.) “Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is his angel!”” (v.14,15)

Why would the people of God think that the thing at their door that looked like Peter and talked like Peter was just “his Angel”? Do we have an angel assigned to us that looks like us and talks like us? Where did they get this idea? It is a somewhat obscure tradition that says we have an angels that is “our angel” yet not totally unfounded in the scriptures. This passage shows that it was at least an idea that these Judean Christians in the book of Acts had heard of and believed. Let’s look at some other bible passages with this idea:

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” - Psalm 34:7

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” - Pslam 91:11

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” - Matt 18:10

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” - Heb. 1:14

What if the angel of the Lord truly is “encamped” around those who fear him? What if God has actually commanded his angels to “guard us in all our ways”? Are “little ones” the only ones who have “their angels”… or does that follow on into maturity? Has God actually “sent out” “ministering spirits” to serve us who are saved? The notion of a “guardian angel” or an angel assigned to us seems a little less far-fetched than it did when we first read about once we look at these other passages. The more important point is this: are we willing to let God broaden our minds and ideas about his work in the world and the spiritual realm through his written word, his Spirit, and the testimony of the people of God? To pose a question, have we allowed our way of thinking to limit the cosmic reality of what God is doing… are our “rational minds” hindering the truth of the scriptures and the work of Jesus from being recognized by us and taking root in our lives?

Maybe we do have an angel assigned to us? If that is true, I wonder what mine is like! Does it really sound like us if and when it talks? One thing I knows true is that angels of the Lord always obey the instructions of God most high and are always pictured as worshipping him in honor, glory, and with loyalty. This is one way that we share a role with he angels - As the children of God, we too are called to obediently bring his message to others, protect others from harm, and worship the Lord giving him all honor and glory! One day - on the new earth - we will join with these angels and worship the Lord! Amen to that. For now, ask the Lord to make a little room in your hearts and minds for the wondrous and mysterious ways that he is working in this world through BOTH his earthly sons and daughters and his spiritual creation (angels) as well. Love you guys. - JDP