For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go (Psalm 91:11, NLT).
I usually write about an entire Psalm in the Saturday Interruption. Today, I’m focusing on one verse about angels and our need for them in this age.
Why do we need angels today?
- There is a unique latter-day fear causing anxiety today (Luke 21:25-26).
- The evil one prowls about like a roaring lion seeking to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).
- All forms of unimaginable evil will be released in the latter days (Matthew 24:12).
Fortunately, we have spiritual allies who are probably standing next to us right now . . .
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:14, NIV).
I pray for God’s protection as I go to sleep and in the morning when I wake up. Realizing that when I travel, the risk increases, I ask others to pray for safety, good health, and powerful ministry before my wife and I take a trip.
We live in perilous times; we need all the help we can get! And since none of us can be constantly alert, it’s nice to have the angels watching over us.
On my recent trip to the Philippines, my wife and I were being driven down the side of a mountain in a monsoon (lots and lots of rain). The roads were flooded as they were the run-offs for all the water.
I was praying!
We came to a steep downhill stretch about a mile long. It had been wiped out a year before in another monsoon (lots and lots and lots of rain). And it was now being rebuilt.
There was no asphalt, just sand-colored clay. The driver said, “The rain makes this clay very slick.”
My prayers were now, “Okay, God, time to send those angels to lift and hold this van steady.” As if on cue, probably to test the angel’s abilities, the monsoon intensified (lots and lots and lots and lots of rain).
The road was so steep that I was bracing myself against the front seat, with a too-close view of the road right in front of the van. And from this perched view, I saw and felt some unusual driving.
The driver was driving about a foot or two and then stopping, then another foot or two and stopping, again and again, he did the same thing. He said, “I don’t want to allow the tires to start slipping.”
I looked out the windows and saw a mountain on one side and a cliff on the other.
My prayers intensified, asking for angels and anything else that the Lord could send.
At times like this, I usually give advice; as a pastor, I’m trained to give advice in all situations. I can make suggestions to Bill Gates about computers, Warren Buffett about investing, and Travis Kelce about those hideous outfits he wears while walking next to Taylor Swift.
But I was speechless.
Fortunately, the driver said, “Don’t worry, I drive this road every day, and I know what I’m doing.”
My wife and I made it to the bottom of the hill. We were safe, and I told Barbara that I was calm and anxiety-free the entire time.
Later in the day, as Barbara and I reviewed our mountainside adventure, we realized that our “drive this road every day” driver wasn’t originally scheduled to drive the van. A pastor, who had no experience, was scheduled, couldn’t, and was replaced.
We must recognize that through our prayers, God has us in the palm of His hand and that He sends the Spirit, His angels, and anything else He deems necessary in our time of need.
Even a driver with lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of experience.
Amen – peace out!