Angels by Billy Graham

Angels by Billy Graham

Author:Billy Graham
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Published: 2010-09-09T04:00:00+00:00


8

ANGELS PROTECT

AND DELIVER US

The enemies of Christ who attack us incessantly would often be thwarted if we could grasp God’s assurance that His mighty angels are always nearby, ready to help. Tragically, most Christians have failed to accept this fact so frequently expressed in the Bible. I have noticed, though, that in my travels the closer I get to the frontiers of the Christian faith the more faith in angels I find among believers. Hundreds of stories document extraordinary divine intervention every year: God is using His angels as ministering spirits.

ANGELS ARE DIVINE PROTECTORS

God’s angels often protect His servants from potential enemies. Consider 2 Kings 6:14–17. The king of Syria had dispatched his army to Dothan, learning that Elisha the prophet was there. Upon dressing in the morning, the prophet’s helper exclaimed excitedly to Elisha that the surrounding countryside bristled with armies and implements of war. Elisha assured him, “Don’t be afraid! . . . our army is bigger than theirs” (verse 16 TLB). Elisha then prayed that God would open the eyes of the young man to see the hosts of protective angels. As He did so, the young man “could see horses and chariots of fire everywhere on the hills surrounding the city.” This passage has been one of the great assurances and comforts to me in my ministry.

The angels minister to God’s servants in time of hardship and danger. We find another outstanding illustration of this in Acts 27:23–25. Paul, on his way to Rome, faced shipwreck with more than two hundred others on board. Speaking to the fear-ridden crew, he said, “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you’” (verses 23–24 NIV).

Some believe strongly that each Christian may have a guardian angel assigned to watch over him or her. This guardianship possibly begins in infancy, for Jesus said, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

ANGELS AT WORK FOR US

The most important characteristic of angels is not that they have power to exercise control over our lives, or that they are beauti- ful, but that they work on our behalf. They are motivated by an inexhaustible love for God and are jealous to see that the will of God in Jesus Christ is fulfilled in us.

David says of angels, “He who dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. . . . For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up . . . lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:1, 11–12).

My wife, Ruth, tells of a strange incident in a Christian bookroom in Shanghai, China.



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