If you grew up in the United States and are old enough to remember the ‘90s, then you may recall a show named, “Touched by an Angel.” It was a popular Christian family drama that ran from the mid-‘90s to the early 2000s.
The concept of “guardian angel” is a popular belief in many Christian communities. And this TV show used that idea for their basic plotline. If you’re not familiar with the show, it centers around three angels (disguised as normal people) who help others during difficult times in their lives. The main character of each episode doesn’t realize they had been touched or helped by an angel until the end of each episode when the angels reveal themselves to be messengers sent by God.
While this was just a TV show, and undoubtedly provided many with comfort, encouragement, and even strengthened their faith, what about real life? Do you think you have ever been touched by an angel?
Entertaining an Angel
If God had ever sent an angel into your life, how would you know? Let’s find out by using Scripture itself (always the best source). In the book of Hebrews we read a little bit about angels. For example, Hebrews 13:2 says,
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Whenever most people think about how God works, they usually picture some grand production of light and trumpets, or maybe a loud booming voice coming from above (think Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s version).
But when we look in Scripture itself, we can see it’s not always like that. This passage in Hebrews shows us that God sends angels or spirits to work through certain people to come into our lives and guide us, even when we don’t know it.
Unlike Touched by an Angel, God’s spirits don’t come basked in heavenly light and reveal that they are sent by God.
Have you ever had an experience where you met someone for the first time, but they helped you out in a spiritual way you couldn’t begin to explain (something like a “godsend”)?
Perhaps that person was an angel in disguise. God is always looking out for those who want to know more about Him. He sends His messengers to guide people back to Himself.
Angels 101
What do angels do anyway? Angels are God’s messengers. In fact the word, “angel”, comes from the Greek word angelos (with a hard “g”), which means “messenger”. In Hebrews 1, we read what their purpose is this:
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:14
Angels are sent by God to help and guide those who will receive salvation. That is, those who believe in God’s promises and fulfillment. However, angels are not flesh. They’re spirits. But for spirits to do their work, they need a body (person) to work through.
How Angels Work
The Bible compares us to bowls, temples, and vessels – things that spirits can reside in and use (2 Timothy 2:20-21, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Acts 9:15). It’s not like The Exorcist movies or other possession-type horror movies though. Instead, they use words or thoughts to influence us, and give knowledge about the Bible.
Yet while God’s angels are working, Satan’s evil spirits are working, too. Satan’s spirits try to lead people away from God and His Word, and make people act against God.
One example of Satan working is in Luke’s gospel. In Luke 22:3-6, we read how Satan’s spirit entered into Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus to his death. Judas didn’t fully believe in Jesus and Satan used Judas’s doubts and desire for money to his advantage. And because of this, he was able to make one of Jesus’s own disciples betray him.
An Angel in Disguise
On the other hand, we also see examples of God’s spirits, angels, working through people to evangelize others. One example was Philip, a disciple of Jesus, and an Ethiopian eunuch.
This encounter is recorded in Acts 8:26-40. We won’t read the full story here but take a look at the beginning.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road…So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official… This man had gone into Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah, the prophet.
The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:26-29
At the start, it says, “an angel of the Lord said to Philip”. We see God’s ministering spirits being sent on God’s behalf to Philip and telling him where to go and who to speak to. The story tells us that the eunuch was reading about a prophecy in Isaiah that was about Jesus. He didn’t understand it but he was seeking the true meaning. And Philip, led by the Spirit, explained it to him.
…”Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?”…
Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
Acts 8:30-31, 35
The point of the story is that God sends His angels to people who want to understand the Word and who are seeking Him. Those who are seeking God, who truly want to know Him, who know and keep His Word and promises are those who will receive salvation.
I love those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently find me.
Proverbs 8:17
Has an Angel Ever Crossed Your Path?
Going back to the show, Touched by an Angel, characters that were struggling with difficult issues in their lives received guidance from three angels disguised as people. The resolution was that those characters overcame their difficulties, and it drew them closer to God.
I want to ask again, do you think you have ever met someone who guided you to God when you needed it most? If you are truly seeking God with all your heart and want to know Him more, God will show you the way for that to happen.
God’s spirits are working all around us. So, whenever you meet someone – perhaps on the street, at work, in school, etc. – they may be someone God is using to get to you.
The fact that you’re reading this blog post may be because God led you to this site, either from someone who sent it to you, or you just happened to click onto it. It is not by chance.
The more we learn and understand how God works in the Bible, the easier it could be to notice in our own lives. You could be touched by an angel without even knowing it.
Written by Kenny
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