Bakersfield.com

All > Faith
Stories of angels reveal secret agents at work
Topics: Faith, angels, Religion
Posted by Brendac Tue May 27, 2008 13:49:35 PDT
Viewed 53 times
0 responses 0 comments

Stories of angels reveal secret agents at work

 

When I was young, my dad told of a very unusual experience he had in Tucson, Arizona. He was a stranger there in the 1940s, attending graduate school at the University of Arizona.

    He reported he once had an occasion to go to the bank and withdraw a relatively large sum of money. After making the withdrawal, Dad was very nervous about walking home with the cash. When he exited the bank, he stood outside for a few minutes trying to collect his bravery when seemingly, from out of nowhere, a large German shepherd appeared, came up to him and began to lick his hand. Reinforced by the mysterious canine’s presence, Dad started to walk home—and the dog followed him, as if my dad were his master.

   When Dad finally arrived home, the dog went on his or her merry way, never to be seen again.

     It seems to me if someone was wary about walking a few blocks with some cash in the 1940s, one should be literally shaking in one’s boots to do it now! I personally believe that the dog in question was, in fact, an angel in disguise, specifically assigned to comfort my dad and escort him safely to his destination.

     There is a lot of attention and interest surrounding angels nowadays. We see them on posters, greeting cards, stationery, plaques, towels, articles of clothing and jewelry. Most often these angels are portrayed as chubby little rosy-cheeked cherubs that don’t have a care in the word. While that’s an appealing interpretation that looks attractive in a decorative sense, that’s not the true picture of a real angel—an agent on assignment from heaven.

     Billy Graham tells a fascinating angel story in his book on the subject. He recounts the experience of a missionary couple in the jungle. One particular day, early in the evening, the menacing sound of drumbeats began to reverberate through the air. The natives were working themselves into a frenzy as they danced around a large cooking pot over an open fire. When the missionaries looked out their window and saw this, they realized their doom was sealed, that they would be the ones ending up in that pot.

     The missionaries did the only thing they could—they knelt and prayed fervently. The drums continued to beat on and on through the night; the louder the beat became, the more earnestly the couple prayed.

     Just a little while before daybreak the next day, the drums suddenly stopped and the couple looked outside. They saw that the natives had vanished. In other words—“the coast was clear.” The missionaries were as perplexed as they were delighted and thankful.

     A year or so later in this story, the chief of the formerly threatening tribe became a believer in the gospel of Jesus Christ. After having made friends with him, the missionaries dared to ask him what had happened that terrible and frightening night of the drums and dancing.

     The chief revealed that the tribe had indeed planned to harm the missionaries, but upon approaching their hut, the natives saw giant men, 10 – 12 feet tall, standing guard over the hut. So the terrified natives had run away, abandoning their intended plot.

     People might ask questions such as these: “Does everyone have a guardian angel?” “Can angels be seen?” “Do angels take various forms?” “What gender are angels?” ”What is the difference between angels and God?”

    In the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, and in the Torah, the English word angel translates the Hebrew word mal’ak and the Greek word angelos. In the New Testament, the essential meaning of both these words is messenger.  Thus an angel is a messenger from God who often brings protection, peace, intelligence and power.

I love what Hebrews 1:14 says, “ Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” What a powerful message this becomes when we apply it to our daily lives!

 

Brenda I

 

Send to a Friend

Report a Violation